The Guest at the Omnibus Theatre in Clapham is a cyclical meditation on migration and the climate crisis, set in a near-future reality where rising temperatures force people to flock northwards.
The play centres around a ‘Groundhog Day’ style scene in the garden of Joe, played by Graham Turner and Ricky, played by Stephanie Jacob, who is also the show’s writer. The chemistry between the pair was warm and believable, and bore all the markings of a long-suffering yet tender relationship.
As the two bicker amicably, finish one another’s sentences, and complain about the scorching hot temperatures, Hannah (Erica Tavares-Kouassi) enters the scene, with broken English and a need for help.
Jacob’s writing is wonderfully inventive, reimagining the myriad outcomes that could arise from the slightest increase in paranoia, benevolence, or rage. Turner came into his own as Joe in the more impassioned moments, spiralling quickly to a level of possessiveness and nationalism which has become all-too recognisable in the era of Reform.
For Jacob, the structure preceded the story, as she had previously used the repeated scene device in a play at Trafalgar Studios.
She said in an interview before the show: “It’s like our lives really: we wake up each morning and lots of days are pretty much like yesterday, with the same shape but slightly different, and our experience slowly accumulates.
“I thought there’s a sort of bigger story here that could be more about politics or world events.”
She workshopped a number of scenes last year along with dramaturg and director, Lucy Richardson, and consulted migrant charity groups as part of her research.
The repeated scenes are bookended with monologues from Hannah detailing life in migrant hotels, the discrimination her child faces in school, and her history of domestic abuse and debt. For me, these monologues were a real highlight of the show, with Tavares-Kouassi giving a true tour-de-force, and depicting the full spectrum of human experience with breathtaking versatility.
Her Hannah was incredibly likeable and resilient, whilst also suffering from pride and a mercurial quickness to anger not unlike that of Joe.
Tavares-Kouassi said: “There is no black and white in the sense of ‘this character’s bad’, ‘this character’s good’.
“It’s definitely important for theatre to just go, ‘this is a mirror. Have a look at yourselves. Do you like what you see? If not, what can we do about it? How can we change?’
“It’s a motive for change.”
For me, the play certainly succeeded in provoking these kinds of reflections. It trod the line wonderfully of balancing the needs of the incoming migrant with those of the rooted couple, treating the concerns of both with great consideration and nuance.
Jacob has described the play as being a ‘serious comedy’, in part, she said, because she thought punters members may be put off by the assumption that it would be a mentally and emotionally draining play, given the topic of migration.
I thought the more humorous moments were handled with great levity, and, as Jacob says, they are a welcome relief to the audience, contrasting against the more uncomfortable moments, such as the excruciating scene involving a sanitary towel, where the discomfort was maximised to its full extent.
As may be expected of a play of this nature, I found the structuring did cause a little dragging in the middle, and perhaps could have done with the removal of some more inconsequential scenarios, but the ending provided the perfect balance of closure and questions, and rounded off the cyclicality in a highly satisfying way.
The Guest is thought-provoking and ominous with a real standout performance from Tavares-Kouassi in the titular role.
Jacob said: “Comedy means hope, and for me it’s a hopeful play because they constantly, in almost all the what ifs, find some moment of connection. And when you connect with people, you remember your best self.”
Picture credit: Héctor Manchego
Join the discussion