Two large drapes frame a mound of mattresses. Various objects are shoved in amongst the ramshackle heap: a bin, an electric heater, a washbowl, some chicken shop cast-offs, and an incongruous children’s rucksack. Rihanna’s 2011 hit We Found Love pumps from iPod speakers.
With one performer, a simplistic set, few lighting or sound variations, the story of a young girl chatting to the audience about her boyfriend for over an hour could have been tedious. Yet how far from tedious Bird was.
The set is astute in its simplicity and the Door theatre space was practically made to help a show like Bird take flight.
Laura Lomas’s script is accomplished and on the whole treats its character and its audience with great respect, utilising repetition in particular to great effect. ‘I know what you’re thinking,’ is Leah’s mantra as she rants, raves, confronts and seeks comfort from those watching her.
Some of the later dramatic beats in the story could be introduced more subtly – educated guesswork means the ‘shock’ is rendered defunct – but perhaps that is unfair, as this isn’t a story necessarily reflecting on what happened, but about who bore what happened: a 14-year old, Leah Bird.
Amaka Okafor is dynamic and effective as the titular character, full of vim and vigour. She is adept at transforming teenage bravado into tenderness, particularly as the show progresses and she settles into the role. It is a mercurial performance, one in which she does wonderful things with material that perhaps isn’t as strong as she is.
Okafor is the sole stage presence for over an hour but is consistent in commanding her audience’s attention. Her vocal affectations and impersonations are generally solid, and benefit most of the play’s more comedic moments. However, the use of slang sometimes jars with a wavering accent. It is not clear if Leah is intended to be local to Derby, has moved there from Birmingham, or is from somewhere in-between.
Prema Mehtar’s lighting is commendable in its restraint, which allows moments such as the play’s conclusion to hit the right emotional notes.
The shadows cast on the drapes impel the audience to consider the dichotomy of how big Leah might (like to) see herself and how little a 14-year old uneducated girl from a poor Derbyshire background with no living parents might be seen (or not seen at all, rather).
Bird is a story worth telling, and worth watching. Lomas and Okafor are both ones to watch. ★★★★☆ Will Amott 21/10/14
