Dreamscape Review: Dazzling Hip-Hop Drama Reclaims Vital Spirit of Teenager Slain by Police
In the grim chronology of police violence against Black individuals, the name Tyisha Miller stands as a tragic marker. Before the global outcry over George Floyd and after the Rodney King beating, Miller was just 19 years old when she was shot dead by officers while unconscious in her car in California in 1998. Her story joins a long and appalling litany of victims, now powerfully resurrected in Rickerby Hinds' award-winning production, Dreamscape, at London's Omnibus Theatre.
A Dream World of Memory and Hope
In this compelling drama, Miller is reimagined as Myeisha Mills, a character who is both dead after being shot 12 times by police and simultaneously alive, rising from a dreamscape to narrate her own story. Played with painfully exuberant and sweet guilelessness by Jada Evelyn Ramsey, Myeisha speaks not as a victim but as an aspiring hip-hop artist determined to make it big as an MC. The production, which premiered at last year's Edinburgh Fringe, unfolds entirely through beatboxing, spoken word, hip-hop, and dance, with excellent choreography by Carrie Mykuls.
It takes a while for the audience to grasp that this vital, sometimes funny, and playful character is no longer alive. Her narration pushes back from a deathly limbo to articulate all she was and could have been. Recurring references to dreaming—"Ever had one of those dreams/ Where nothing comes out when you try to scream?"—serve as the only allusion to the violence of her death from her perspective, adding a layer of haunting subtlety.
Extraordinary Performances and Choreography
Jada Evelyn Ramsey delivers an extraordinary performance as Myeisha, moving from a chair on a bare stage to floating, dancing, and coming to sudden wide-eyed stops, perhaps echoing the shock of bullets. Her portrayal is filled with beauty and depth. She shares the stage with Josiah Alpher, who is equally charismatic as he beatboxes, raps, and narrates various characters, including the police officer and the dehumanizing language of Myeisha's autopsy report.
Through Hinds' script, the description of bullets and their entry points in Myeisha's body brings her physical form to life, tracing its history and recorded experiences. A bullet to the head sparks a story about hair ("Hands off the hair"), her first awkward but exhilarating sexual experiences are recalled when the coroner mentions a bullet to her breast, and a tattoo is remembered when a bullet hits her lower back.
A Paradox of Joy and Injustice
Amid the unspoken, gruesome injustice of her untimely death, there is a paradoxical but palpable sense of joy and zest for life. Dreamscape is both a dream of hope and a nightmare from beyond the grave. Myeisha's voice carries no anger, yet the show leaves audiences with profound anger and deep sadness, reflecting on the systemic issues it highlights.
At Omnibus Theatre in London until 28 February, this dazzling and disturbing production uses its dream world to wield great non-naturalistic power, reclaiming the spirit of a young life cut short and inviting reflection on broader societal themes.
