Review of RUSH - A Joyous Jamaican Journey at Birmingham Rep (The House)

Rush Theatre Company has as its mission to provide opportunities, influence and instigate change within the theatre community and the community at large and this production, RUSH - A Joyous Jamaican Journey, is very much their signature show. Telling the story of the Empire Windrush and its 1948 journey from Jamaica with the first of the "invited", it is an evocative and powerful show, full of energy and love.

It's true that at times, RUSH doesn't quite fit the theatre space as well as perhaps it might other performance spaces, with its rough around-the-edges production, and community styling, however with placing it in The Rep, in the very heart of Birmingham, it does get the recognition it needs more than any other space.

The show primarily consists of a long history tale starting with the original colonisation of the islands of the latter-known West Indies, to the "discovery" of the islands by a certain Christopher Columbus, and the events that devastatingly occur from this. The story moves through time and eventually onto the story of Windrush itself and the repercussions of those travellers' lives into the future.

What might sound like a potentially dry lecture on paper is made vibrant by this story being interspersed by music from and influenced by that Caribbean world. And this is where the strength of RUSH lies, the music productions and performances here are first class. Assembled for the show are some true stars, among these are the lead singers IKA and Letitia George, whose vocals bring top-notch productions of songs through the years.

Creating the music behind these vocalists is the superb band led by musical director (and lead guitar) Orvil Pinnock. The musicians are very much part of the show, be they having their moment in the solo spotlight, or all in for a Madness One Step Beyond walk around the stage, they are the backdrop, the set, as it were of the production. Truly brilliant.

Narrator Andrina Davis gives a likeable, personable performance in her telling of the history and while some of the wording of the piece can be a little heavy-handed at times, you cannot deny the power of the story and for the best part it avoids too much political comment which may put off people who are especially trying to avoid this at this moment in time.

Finally from the company, DJ and further backing vocals are provided by the incredibly sprightly and passionate Ken Dread complete with his impressive colour-changing shoes. Who knows where he gets his energy from, but I definitely need to try to find out.

RUSH - A Joyous Jamaican Journey is an excellent evening, providing a theatre space for a superb mix of cultures to enjoy as well as hear maybe much history they might not even know. The strength lies very much with the music at its heart, but the entire evening still provides something for everyone. An important story, passionately told.

A powerful story told against the backdrop of superbly performed music, makes a captivating evening.
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Performance reviewed: Tuesday 25th June 2024 at The Birmingham Rep Theatre (The House)

RUSH - A Joyous Jamaican Journey runs at the Birmingham Rep Theatre until Saturday 29th June, 2024.

For further details about the Birmingham Rep and to book tickets see their website at https://www.birmingham-rep.co.uk/

Production Photos: Elijah Thompson Photography

(images from past productions depicting different performers)

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