Lenny Henry makes his debut as a playwright with August in England, a richly detailed one-man show about the Windrush scandal, now playing at the Bush Theatre in London. The actor performs with warm humour and outrage at injustice, portraying August Henderson, a Jamaican who arrived in England at age eight on his mother’s passport.
The production, directed by Daniel Bailey and Lynette Linton, features August recounting his 52 years in England from his snug living room, decorated with pictures of Jesus and Bob Marley. Henry’s performance is part stand-up, part party host, handing out drinks to the audience while sharing anecdotes about his family, his fruit and veg business, and his beloved West Bromwich Albion.
The show balances humour with pathos, as flash-forwards to the devastating impact of the Home Office’s hostile environment policy interrupt August’s story. CCTV footage of his wrongful detention plays briefly, and letters from the Home Office begin to fall from the sky. The narrative is left shredded as August is detained, with the sense of a tragedy still unfolding underlined by climactic documentary testimony from three victims of the scandal.
Henry’s performance is physically detailed, from his early dances with his wife Clarice to the way he caresses his armchair, his hand balling into a fist as he laments lost intimacy. The production features lighting design by Jai Morjaria, movement direction by Shelley Maxwell, and sound design by Duramaney Kamara, with the Guardian’s Amelia Gentleman serving as Windrush consultant.
August in England is a remarkable play that fits the Bush Theatre like a glove but deserves to find audiences further afield.
