Is God Is
Royal Court Theatre, London
Have you ever been to a show without knowing what it was about? Well, Is God Is was a surprise. I went along knowing nothing about the storyline. A friend sent it to our whats app theatre group as a suggestion for our next night out. I normally do a quick Google, so I know what I am signing up to even if I am going along regardless. As I am pretty much up for and open to suggestions, I just went with the flow on this one.
I glanced over the message my friend had added to the group from the theatre. It outlined that there had intentionally not been much promotion of the play to avoid giving away the storyline or the emotive content. I didn't really pay this much attention and was just happy to be going to see something new and spend time with the girls. Maybe I should have done a quick Google to prepare me for this one.
The three of us arrived at the Royal Court Theatre to find that the show had been cancelled that night. The lead actress was unwell, so we went to dinner instead. We scheduled for the next available date when we were all free.
And then we were back in the same spot a couple of weeks later. I was so not prepared for this play. I don’t think any of us were. By us, I mean the entire audience. The playwright, Aleshea Harris, created a story that had us all rooted in our seats from start to finish. I see now why they didn’t tease out much of the storyline. There was not much time for suspense. They went in from the very beginning.
Twin sisters Racine and Anaia took us on an intense journey. A really violent one. They were seeking revenge on their father at the request of their dying mother, who they thought had died years earlier in a house fire. Their mother, as a result of the fire, was severely burned. I must add the special effects of her burns were done so well. There were audible gasps from the audience and me at the extent of her injuries.
There was so much to their family history. Racine and Anaia hadn't seen their father since the fire, which could have also taken their lives as they were home when the fire started. One of the sisters had suffered from burns which was a constant reminder of the traumatic event. As you can imagine, the shock of their mother coming back from the dead was a lot, and then there was more to come.
Their mother's wish, or more like her order, was for them to track their father down and kill him. She told them that he had intentionally started the fire to kill her, and it was their duty to avenge her attempted murder and the fact that she was slowly dying. With both young women scarred mentally and physically from the traumatic events, their absent parents, and the unexpected resurrection of their mother, there was a whirlwind of emotions that they were going through and conflicted about. The family drama was intense, to say the least.
With all their family trauma bubbling up inside of them both, they, after some deliberation, set off on their mission to honour the wish of God. Their mother’s name was God, in case you were wondering. So far, so normal, right!!
There have been many vengeance stories before. It’s not unfamiliar for a storyline to be based around a person, normally a man, whose family member has been murdered, and he then goes on to seek revenge on everyone involved. We then watch for 2 hours as he tracks everyone down and takes them out brutally whilst making the violence look slick, and his retribution justified.
This was different. It wasn't the typical cast and characters we are used to seeing in these types of stories. Racine and Anaia, who were the lead characters, were Black women, and this was a Western. Stories like this are not normally done in this way. Here were two Black women seeking revenge and carrying out retribution in a normally reserved way and only acceptable for the Liam Neeson-type characters.
They were also in pain caused by the toxicity of their family structure or lack of. This was then compounded by the resurgence of both parents revealing more disturbing revelations, destruction, and devastation to their lives which had not yet survived their traumatic childhoods.
I loved that Alesha Harris told the story that she wanted to tell and bring to the stage. One where Black women were at the front, centre, and lead in their stories. When creators have the freedom to tell their own stories and have their own creative expression, we get to see, experience, relate, and empathise with things in a way we haven’t been able to before.
I was firmly in my seat. Not on the edge but firmly at the back with my eyes as wide as the side-eye emoji as the story unfolded, got darker, and went deeper. The hip-hop and afro-punk beats added a bit of light relief and took the edge off somewhat.
But it was more than just a revenge story filled with violence and murder. It had much more depth than that. At the heart of it was a family. A fragmented one but still a family who were all in pain, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Two parents who hadn't considered or were ignorant of their children’s childhood experiences and the impact it had on their young lives. Two sisters who felt that they had to honour their dying mother even if it meant destroying themselves and what was left of their family and what they felt was their responsibility to carry and take on.
It was such a deep storyline with so much pain overflowing. I could relate to this story (minus the murders) on the impact of childhood and broken families and how difficult it is to pick up the pieces whilst you are still trapped within the pain it leaves behind.
I felt uncomfortable at the beginning as the story unfolded. The audience was predominately white, and I instinctively became uncomfortable with the association of Black people with violence and dysfunctional families. I think part of it was that I was unprepared for the storyline but mostly conscious of how people see us and the anti-Black narratives that affect our lives and how we think, act, express, feel, and show up in the world.
That didn’t last long. I loved what Alesha Harris created. It was bold and fearless, and she didn’t conform or water down her art, the female characters, or the storyline to make anyone else feel comfortable. For me, that is true freedom, and it makes the statement without saying that we are not limited to one type of story, character, or to a section of Black history that focuses on us as victims. We belong, everywhere - in westerns, romantic comedies, dramas, and the theatre- and this is exactly what we saw.
The storyline was so intense and captivating, with the detail from start to finish just perfect. From the set design, the music, and the cosmetic effects for the burn victims to the slow-motion and fire scenes, it was just equally captivating as frightening. There were many intense scenes, but there was also a lot of humour. The storyline wasn’t funny obviously, but we needed some light relief between killings and it gave us that.
The theatre size of the theatre created an intimate feel, and you can feel everything. The heat from the fire, the build-up to the violence, and the internal challenges and conflict that would have been going on in the minds and hearts of Racine and Anaia. It was a rollercoaster making me feel a part of it all right to the end when they meet their main target and uncover more disturbing family truths and…….more family members.
I can’t remember which sister closed out the play. But I remember just feeling how heartbreaking it was when she delivered her final lines and walked off the stage, through the audience, and out of the side door. I can still feel the pain and weight of her unmet expectations of how she thought she would feel once everything was over. It’s a great lesson that everything you put yourself through to get what and where you want may end up not being what you wanted or how you felt it would feel.
As we gave our applause, my friends and I looked at each other, still shocked, in a good way. I don’t think we expected our Wednesday night out to be so deep. It was exciting to see what Alesha Harris had created, and I am looking forward to seeing what she brings to audiences next. Hopefully back to a theatre in London.