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A review by girlglitch
The Lamplighter by Jackie Kay
5.0
The Lamplighter is one of those plays that doesn't need performing to have an impact: just reading through the script allows Kay's words to sing from the page, demanding to be heard. It has an inescapable rhythm that pulls you through, however painful you might find it.
The polyphonic narrative is intense but never disorienting. Kay picks out some vivid, personal scenes amongst the flood of words. I was particularly impressed with the way the characters' words are interwoven with history, in a way that is easy to follow even as we jump about in time and place. It's a poignant reminder of how British cities are bound up with the history of slavery.
The Lamplighter is an immensely powerful piece of writing, at once guttural and poetic.
*Thank you to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review*
The polyphonic narrative is intense but never disorienting. Kay picks out some vivid, personal scenes amongst the flood of words. I was particularly impressed with the way the characters' words are interwoven with history, in a way that is easy to follow even as we jump about in time and place. It's a poignant reminder of how British cities are bound up with the history of slavery.
The Lamplighter is an immensely powerful piece of writing, at once guttural and poetic.
*Thank you to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review*