It's Showtime: Birmingham... Marcus Garvey, RUSH & Freedom!

After those COVID restrictions were phased out, getting back to the theatre felt really good, like really good! From November 2021 through to April 2022, this instalment of 'It's Showtime...' will pay mind to three shows in-particular. Learning from 'Marcus Garvey', getting schooled about Jamaica's famous 'RUSH' and the dance skills of 'Johannes Radebe'. Action! Curtain up!

For my 31st birthday I was treated to an 'Evening With' Birmingham by one of my Aunties, venturing back into the public felt like the right thing to do! Birmingham was alive once again, that live real-time city feeling was correct, making our way towards 'Perios', we enjoyed a pre-show Tex Mex meal. My Auntie had managed to get tickets to see 'Marcus' at Birmingham's Crescent Theatre for that mid-November 2021 evening. Directed by one of her dear friends, 'Tonia Daley-Canpbell', we were in for an amazing piece of performance art. The way theatre is seen nowadays has changed a lot, major changes in the theatrical landscape are taking place! It was amazing to be seeing a show about a former Jamaican activist amongst a majority Afro-Caribbean audience. Making movements quite like Garvey did, the theatre scene in the West Midlands is taking space with productions about Black figures, recounting their journeys with diverse audiences watching together in the name of 'art' and 'performance'. On with the show, B!

Seated and amazed, the show kicked off with a beautiful arrangement of music and movement, calling a spirit into the theatre space. Marcus Garvey made key appearances throughout the show, his story was narrated in a timely fashion with care and attention paid to his legacy. A lost young man was presented to us, finding his way in the world whilst his parents bickered and fought, he found solace in the words Marcus had left behind. Marcus's teachings would set this young man to impart his strength and wisdom upon them. With his paternal grandfather passed in Ghana, his estranged aunt came to confront the land that their father had left behind them. The whole show weaved the knowledge of Marcus with the family struggles that young mans family faced. To learn about Marcus's journey was the icing on the cake for me, the performance had me learning more about Mr. Garvey. It was moving to see such a performance. Most of all, the audience didn't present a Caucasian demographic, it was rightly a highly melanated affair!

'RUSH: A Joyous Jamaican Journey' had been presented to me through the medium of Instagram moments from Tonia Daley Campbell and her family, they had filmed from the Grand Theatre in Wolverhampton whilst it was alive with singing and people dancing! That 'Windrush Generation' inspired show had graced the Grand in Wolverhampton before I could get my hands on any tickets! Yes, working with the Grand Theatre in Wolverhampton, Tonia became a spearhead to bring 'RUSH' to the Grand, with a key focus to bring a wider audience back to the theatre. Booking my Birmingham Repertory Theatre tickets to see RUSH had to be done, I wasn't about to let Wolverhampton have all of the fun! No chance! Teaming that Febuary 2022 showtime moment, me and my Auntie went to Turtle Bay for a Jamaican style meal to kick off the 'RUSH' evening that was ahead of us! Honestly, the audience represented once again and you know that it was a pleasure to witness that change! 'RUSH', we were ready! Brum REP, go!

This music filled journey had the whole audience on a joyous Jamaican adventure for real, appreciating that post-COVID experience in a live entertainment space felt like a blessing. 'We Likkle, but We Tallawah!' Yes, that Jamaican motto was a stronghold throughout the show, emphasising no matter how small of an island Jamaica is, it has always been strong enough to represent itself as an independent island nation! From the days of the 'Arawat Indians', when the island was called 'Xayamca' during that short spate of Spanish colonial rule, this Caribbean nation was bigged up by the RUSH company. The audience members who had took the HMS Empire Windrush from Jamaica to London's Tilbury Docks reminisced about such references within those first British Jamaican households. Narrated through word and songs, it was a treat to hear such music from the years that had come from Jamaica, for it to become world famous! Leaving just before the end of the show, we had to catch our Metro home! RUSH was amazing! 

After his remarkable run on BBC's Strictly Come Dancing as a professional dancer, it was only right that me and my Mom went to see 'Johannes Radebe's' dance tour! Booking our tickets for the April 2022 date at Birmingham's Alexandra Theatre was the right thing to do. Johannes had wowed audiences all across the UK with his dazzling footwork as he danced alongside TV chef, 'John Waite'. You already know the BBC has gotten onto our bus since they accepted 'Mama Ru' with her 'UK Drag Race', ensuring that Strictly partnership between two men proved all the naysayers and bigots wrong! Titled 'Freedom', I wasn't shocked by the queues that had formed outside of Birmingham's Alex Theatre, there was a whole lot of love present for Johannes. Johannes's show wasn't just about dance, his singers took us on a wondrous journey through the Townships near Johannesburg, the stage had been crafted to look something like a Township. With Johannes's commitment and passion for his fans and dance, it was pure joy to watch him! 

He did not milk the applause, he simply allowed the crowds to pour their love out within the theatre, he remained so humbled and touched by the shower of applause and cheers. Seeing Johannes perform all of the different types of dance was a visual treat, he had forged his own path from his humble beginnings in South Africa. His costumes were amazing, in fact they were beyond amazing, one costume in fact depicted each flag of each country where it remains illegal to be part of the LGBT community. We all stood together with Johannes because regardless where you are from, we should all have the right to love freely and be our true authentic selves. The message that Johannes gave to use through his dancing was that it's just love, that we should embrace each other and be kind, to uplift those who need to be. The whole performance was unstoppable and being a tour that focussed on smaller venues, the atmosphere in the theatre was electric! Truly, 'Freedom' by Johannes Radebe allowed me to feel free once again!

Three Highly Melanated Shows! 

Desperately Seeking Adventure