Skip to main content

THEATRE Acute drama interrogates racist assumptions

Cultural appropriation and the ownership of black bodies online are just some of the issues raised in a bracingly provocative new play, says WILL STONE

seven methods of killing kylie jenner
Royal Court, London

PLAYWRIGHT Jasmine Lee-Jones’s hit debut explores many things over 90 minutes, among them the cultural appropriation of the voiceless by the rich and famous, namely the Kardashians and arch-socialite Kylie Jenner.

Much has happened in the world since the play’s original staging in 2019 to merit this rerun, with the ills of institutional racism brought centre stage following last year’s explosion of BLM protests. The issues raised in seven methods ... now seem eerily prescient.

The play’s protagonist Cleo (Leanne Henlon) is the angry face of the anonymous online troll who uses a Twitter account with the handle @incognegro to list seven brutal ways of killing Kylie Jenner under the hashtag #kyliejennerfidead.

But her raging frequently spills out IRL (in real life) to attack those close to her, including friend Kara (Tia Bannon), who identifies as queer, once Cleo's former homophobic tweets get resurrected.

And Cleo shows her own myopia when she spitefully attacks Kara for having it easy with her lighter skin, only to inadvertently prove the point that Kara’s mixed race alienates her from both black and white cultures.

The realm of the online world is made authentically chaotic and noisy, allowing the main plot lines of the story to be driven along by the intense interactions of the two friends.

The intensity of their relationship begins to melt into compassion once Cleo is willing to apologise and face up to her grievances. At one point, she even admits to finding her own rage exhausting.

What then follows is a homage to “voiceless black women” and a searing indictment of a society that only praises black feminine attributes when they are appropriated by white women.

Littered with more acronyms to fill a Gen Z dictionary, seven methods... spectacularly captures the zeitgeist of the age and leaves us with plenty to chew on.

Runs until July 27, box office: royalcourttheatre.com.

OWNED BY OUR READERS

We're a reader-owned co-operative, which means you can become part of the paper too by buying shares in the People’s Press Printing Society.

 

 

Become a supporter

Fighting fund

You've Raised:£ 13,288
We need:£ 4,712
3 Days remaining
Donate today