Review: THE BROWN SUITE, Richmond Theatre

It's not often that Richmond Theatre plays host to a world premiere: Blacbrik's Nahum McLean and Darius Drooh's first long-form dance production The Brown Suite makes a stylish splash before embarking on a nationwide tour.

The concept is a simple one: six friends get ready to go out in 1970s New York. They arrive at The Brown Suite club to dance and flirt, leading to a fallout which reaches a resolution of sorts in the second half. All this is accompanied by an exquisite soundtrack of predominantly James Brown tracks, sprinkled with Sam Cooke and Etta James.

Put simply, you could sit with your eyes closed and have a great night, such is the quality of the music selection, but this would mean missing out on some highly energetic and vibrant choreography, slickly performed by the cast of seven.

McLean and Drooh's choreography is not groundbreaking in originality, but delves into the high-energy mix of soul and funk, with elements of ballet, jazz and modern dance. There is real attention to detail in reflecting the rhythm and syncopation of the music.

The cast create good definition in their distinct characters. Leila Wright and Lukas Hunt make a sensual couple as Denise and Marcus; Wright leaning into the full length of her limbs with grace while Hunt performs powerful lifts with ease.

Hugo Bragg takes a little while to warm up as Julian, but then embraces a goofy and playful side partnered up with Darius Drooh as Ray. The friends mess around, get into trouble and show off that boyish immaturity perfectly, Drooh is a standout, with an incredibly expressive, kooky face and the pair show increasingly elastic movement as they get drunk together.

Nahum McLean and Monique Jonas are more tempestuous as couple Victor and Angela, with McLean showing a good narrative arc from dismissive partner to one full of sorrow at his actions. Jonas has her roots in ballet and demonstrates the elegant lines and arm positioning to reflect that. Her solo work during "At Last", as she contemplates a life without Victor, is full of yearning and long, sweeping movements.

Some of the best work is when the cast all dance together, showing some excellent co-ordination and timing. "I Feel Good" shows a nifty demonstration of the push and pull of flirtation on a dancefloor and "Super Bad" shows excellent flow and static rhythms as the friends abandon themselves to the music. The collective choreography brims with youthful vitality, sexuality and a desire to have fun.

Joshi Martina is something of a spare part for most of the production as Mr New York, gamely sweeping the floor or manning the DJ decks until right before the end of the show where he demonstrates some impressive jumps. 

The pacing of the show could be revisited; a few pauses between tracks are a beat too long and (stamina issues aside), the show would work better as a one-act straight-through format. The interval may give the dancers a rest break, but the flow of the production feels impeded.

Joshie Harriette's set is minimal, allowing his lighting to really shine. Twelve long, illuminated tubes form the backdrop which glow and flash with diverse colours according to the track playing. Multiple overhead spots create interest and atmosphere as the location shifts. The most successful of this is in The Brown Suite itself, where the smoky, heady atmosphere of a late-night club really comes across. 

The programme for a show is not something that would usually be mentioned, but this is a design gem; created to look like a vintage vinyl record, it is packed with interesting opinion pieces, interviews and details about the show. There is also a QR code to access the soundtrack. It begs the question why other productions don't put so much time and thought into their programmes. There has clearly been money spent here.

The Brown Suite is a fun and funky show that oozes style and energy. Go for the music, but stay for the dancing.

Reader Reviews

To post a comment, you must register and login.