Review of ‘The Legends of Them’: “Unformed fantasies”

Singer-songwriter, playwright, and actress Lorna Gee treads the boards of the Royal Court through this personal, one-woman piece exploring the trials and tribulations of life through the eyes of a black queer person. Guillermo Nazara shares his views on the show, to let us know if this intimate journey through everyday struggles manages to take other passengers on board.

We often wonder if the path we walk in life is the result of our own choices or the will of our pre-written fate. And whatever the truth behind our destiny is, how we approach it is not always determined by our own temperament, but carved by those people who’ve come into it and honed the way we are today. Such strong, existential themes serve as the driving force for Lorna Gee’s latest one-woman show, The Legends of Them,  a musicalized monologue exploring the trials and tribulations of a queer black person in a world that’s not made for her.

Establishing an excellent premise and outlining an emotionally compelling, artistically rich, and highly resonating style, the piece is able to deliver an enticing overlook through its combination of live sung renditions and vigorous interpretation. However, as much as the basis feels consistent, providing a solid ground for what could be an extremely moving, and possibly life-changing experience, form and content struggle to make a perfect match in the end – leaving us with the much regrettable sensation of an unfinished work that had every chance to be, but which unfortunately decides to remain in a development limbo.

Taking us through a rather harrowing yet all the way inspiring journey, the show manages to bring pathos and truthfulness into its execution. Yet, there’s a noticeable lack of pacing and structure that compromises the overall effectiveness of its narrative. There’s not enough space left for the introspection of every topic it tries to deal with. And instead of  building a more progressive arc audiences can be a part of, the general feel is closer to a tempestuous (and quite disorganised) amalgam of ideas exuding fervour, but not sufficient connection with the viewer.

Some praise must be given, anyway, to its rather satisfactory production values. Relying on a simple yet striking set design, consisting of not more than a prop desk and a gauze-covered tower of speakers within a black-box ambiance, the staging is nonetheless capable of dragging us, in a much effortless manner, into a sumptuous gallery of riveting, eye-catching and extraordinarily surrounding atmospheres – an accomplishment made, to a great extent, by its superb lighting; putting visual intricacy, narrative prowess and sentimental stamina altogether to create a universe as bizarrely beautiful as it is inviting.

Paying a laudable tribute to both her personal and cultural roots, Lorna Gee sets the tone for a melodious trip through memories of endeavour, self-discovery, and love, but forgets to relocate all of those elements in a way and into a place they can properly benefit from each other – to ultimately create a speech that, far from just screaming its passion out loud, can convey a message to wholly speaks to the viewer. It’s a robust start for what can eventually be a tremendously stirring piece of art, but there’s more work to be done before all its ingredients blend in complete unison.

The Legends of Them plays at London’s Royal Court Theatre until 21 December. Tickets are available on the following link.

By Guillermo Nazara