The Moors, written by Tonderai Munyevu, is a ‘Shakespearean’ comedy in five acts. It follows two main characters, TJ and Tonde, who are actors living in a tent on the South Bank as their visas have run out, seeking an opportunity to be cast in a Shakespearean play. They hear of a fundraiser at the Globe and decide to create an opportunity for themselves (with some elaborative storytelling about who they are) to take centre stage.
I found this play utterly fascinating and quite complex. I really wish I had had the opportunity to see it performed as I think it would be astounding. It's funny, but it is extremely arresting at the same time as it tackles issues around race, identity, migrants and attitudes towards the roles in which Black actors are cast in plays today. It is timely and political, as well as funny, and reflects major issues that have been brought to the foreground by the Black Lives Matter movement.
All of the characters in the play are played by just two actors, in the style of South African apartheid-era workshop plays, or ‘township theatre’. The acting cast must be bilingual, with both English and a native African language to be spoken throughout. There is a connection with the audience, a breaking of the fourth wall and lots of improvisational opportunity in the text, which would be wonderful to see live.
Sonia Massai, professor of Shakespeare Studies at King's College London, has written an excellent introduction to the text explaining the premise of the script. The play asks us to consider how contemporary British drama presents and performs three of Shakespeare's characters in his plays – Othello, Aaron and the Prince of Morocco. It demonstrates how the ‘well-intentioned but ultimately misguided preconceptions of those who produce Shakespeare for major theatre companies can end up perpetuating the institutional racism that often permeates even the most liberal minded echelons of British society … and the theatre industry within it.’
I think it would be extremely challenging to act, but I really enjoyed the Shakespearean ending, where characters TJ and Tonde run off into a forest and there are multiple weddings. It really made me laugh. But I think the great thing about this play is that it also made me think. A memorable read.