Brothers Size (19 Jan-14 Feb)

The Brothers Size, part of a trilogy titled The Brother/Sister Plays, is a sultry, vibrant and music-filled drama from Tarell McCraney one of Black America’s exciting new breed of young talented playwrights.

After a spell in prison, two African-American brothers reunite through Yoruba mythology, the dank humidity of the Louisiana bayou and pulsating live music in an absorbing and unforgettable night of theatre that’s sure to leave you stunned and speechless.

In a recent interview with the Seattle Repertory Theatre, Tarell said “For this period of my life, I was trying to find a way to have a conversation with my immediate community,” he continues “I needed to focus on a bed-rock that was home-grown and embedded in such a way that we could not deny it.”

It’s a little like church. The style of The Brothers Size, according to playwright Tarell McCraney, is “call and response.” You may not literally be saying “amen,” but in that metaphor, the audience is an integral piece of the action. “There must be a response to the call,” he says. “Otherwise it’s just rehearsal.”

The production has been praised for its interactivity in the way it encourages the audience to share and be part of the story.

With its strong fusion of music, poetry and dance it’s difficult to describe the play other than a solemn ceremony in which the audience is the active congregation.

The play has won many plaudits here and America, with the Telegraph describing a previous showing of it as “at once joyous and deeply poignant”.

The production is directed by Bijan Sheibani, whose credits include Through His Teeth (2014, Royal Opera House), A Taste of Honey (2014, National Theatre) etc.

It also stars Scope Dirisu., of Undercover and Black Mirror fame who was recently seen in Royal Shakespeare Company’s new version of Coriolanus.

See this absorbing and emotional rollercoaster of a play before it short run ends.

19 Jan-14 Feb, Brothers Size, £10-£38 www.youngvic.org