Alterations is new to us, but it’s far from a new play: written by Michael Abbensetts, it was first staged way back in 1978, and then… well, seems to have been quietly forgotten about. It was somewhat overshadowed by his groundbreaking TV series Empire Road, which was the first TV series by a black British writer to be commissioned by the BBC, and featured an almost entirely black cast and crew. This revival at the National Theatre (it is playing in their middle-sized space, The Lyttelton, until 5 April) is its biggest ever staging. It has been retrieved from the National Theatre’s Black Plays Archive and features additional material written by Trish Cooke.
It concerns the story of Walker (Arinzé Kene) who runs a small upstairs alterations shop but dreams of a larger establishment of his own on Carnaby Street. He takes on an unrealistic task – an unfeasibly large order for trouser alterations with an overnight deadline – from Jewish businessman Mr Nat (Colin Mace). To help fulfil the order he enlists Buster (Gershwyn Eustache Jnr) and Horace (Karl Collins), with the deliveries made by politically-charged shop junior Courtney (Raphel Famotibe). Over the course of the evening we also get to know Walker’s long suffering wife Darlene (Cherrelle Skeete) who has recently lost her factory job and is keen to help.
There’s plenty of comedy – Abbensetts’ familiarity with the sitcom format is evident here. The play unfolds entirely in the shop (save for a handful of dream sequences) and much of the action on stage is fairly ordinary, with conversations about work, family, betting on the horses, and so forth. Through this medium there are some interesting ideas discussed, from the various hurdles faced by immigrants to what actually constitutes ‘home’. It is occasionally a little clunky – Mr Nat’s insights feel a little forced – but for the most part the play is an interesting exploration of a range of still-relevant issues.
We enjoyed our evening with Alterations – it made us wonder just how many plays out there didn’t quite catch on at the time they were written and are now sitting in an archive somewhere. We’re glad this hidden gem has been rediscovered – it offers an entertaining evening and ponders some interesting questions. Well worth checking out.
GAY TIMES gives Alterations – 4/5
More information can be found here.
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