THEATRE REVIEW: Misty ★★★★★

Misty
Trafalgar Studios
8th September - 17th November 2018

First time visiting Trafalgar Studios, and very much sat in the front tier of Studio One, I was incredibly intrigued on this production that seemed to have been on everyone's lips. Writer and Actor Arinzé Kene spits out a rhythmical image which we form in our brains of the inner-city at the heart of the UK, London, with the help from video projection in the background, courtesy of Daniel Denton. From tales of the night bus to the array of passengers onboard, you are sucked into this world which revolves around Kene writing a brand new show, and the struggles he faces from his own demons right through to those closest to him.

Captivated throughout, though Kene is the main protagonist and has you in the palm of his hand, with the help from his band members, Adrian McLeod and Shiloh Coke, who multirole as various characters in Kene's life, plus Mya Napolean who cameos as the little girl, it allows the story to weave many strands together as we hear what they have to say about the upcoming project that Arinzé is producing, which finally introduces his agent, in the form of a voiceover.

What's quite astonishing though is that this does not read as a 'black male play', further highlighted by the fact that Kibong Tanji, a female performer, is credited as the understudy, who in this run took on one performance, which I'm sure would have been fascinating for every single member of the audience that evening. 

The single most memorable moment though would be when Kene inflates a fluorescent orange balloon in the climax of the first act. It was an astonishing feet to produce as you could almost hear a pin drop and audience edging backwards as the tension in the room was unlike anything I've witnessed, waiting for this balloon, which grew to an estimated ten feet in the air, to implode.

Overall, Misty is one of those productions you can witness only the once, but will forever be spoken about due to the genius writing, and direction from Omar Elerian.