Natasha Marshall - Half Breed
Presented by Soho Theatre and Talawa Theatre Company
"I want to be someone, not just that one."
'Half-Breed' -one woman alone on a stage, left bare save for a backdrop of scattered lamps; no props, clever, subtle lighting and sound creating mood, context and location and.....that's it!
The rest is pure raw energy from an incredibly talented young performer and writer. An energy that grips you by the hand and doesn't let go, taking you through an array of emotions, living every experience with Jasmine, the main protagonist and story-teller as she fills the stage, becoming the other characters in her story, which is one of longing to belong, of chasing dreams, of racism and ignorance, and of love.
I am not sure if I blinked for that hour, so difficult was it to take my eyes from the amazing Natasha Marshall, almost forgetting at times it really is just one woman on the stage.
The style is rhythmical and poetic, using repetition, guttural sounds and gesticulation to switch seamlessly into her characters, these devices also succeeding in generating tension, emotion and atmosphere, creating her own soundtrack: the Grandma's rasping breaths merge with Jasmine's own conflicting emotions. We experience the turmoil within as Jasmine struggles to break free from the contraints of her life in a provincial village in Wiltshire, where no one ever leaves. We're rooting for her as she fights to escape to a place where your identity is not a label awarded you by other people but something discovered from within.
Powerfully directed by Miranda Cromwell, and superbly performed by Natasha Marshall, 'Half-Breed' is a must see.
***** Review by Ivonne Fernandes-Bonnar
"I want to be someone, not just that one."
'Half-Breed' -one woman alone on a stage, left bare save for a backdrop of scattered lamps; no props, clever, subtle lighting and sound creating mood, context and location and.....that's it!
The rest is pure raw energy from an incredibly talented young performer and writer. An energy that grips you by the hand and doesn't let go, taking you through an array of emotions, living every experience with Jasmine, the main protagonist and story-teller as she fills the stage, becoming the other characters in her story, which is one of longing to belong, of chasing dreams, of racism and ignorance, and of love.
I am not sure if I blinked for that hour, so difficult was it to take my eyes from the amazing Natasha Marshall, almost forgetting at times it really is just one woman on the stage.
The style is rhythmical and poetic, using repetition, guttural sounds and gesticulation to switch seamlessly into her characters, these devices also succeeding in generating tension, emotion and atmosphere, creating her own soundtrack: the Grandma's rasping breaths merge with Jasmine's own conflicting emotions. We experience the turmoil within as Jasmine struggles to break free from the contraints of her life in a provincial village in Wiltshire, where no one ever leaves. We're rooting for her as she fights to escape to a place where your identity is not a label awarded you by other people but something discovered from within.
Powerfully directed by Miranda Cromwell, and superbly performed by Natasha Marshall, 'Half-Breed' is a must see.
***** Review by Ivonne Fernandes-Bonnar