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Lava, Bush Theatre London
Impassioned exposé of pain and anger wreaked by racism and prejudice
MAGNIFICENT: Ronke Adekoluejo [Helen Murray]

MORE of a poetic discourse than a play, Ronke Adekoluejo’s monologue, written by Benedict Lombe, follows  a young woman’s often happy but sometimes fraught journey from her birthplace in the Congo to South Africa, Ireland and then England.

Lava begins as an entertaining tale with a generous helping of humour. Yet its end is visceral in its challenging conclusions.

The first half is loosely framed around Adekoluejo’s quest to gain a British passport. But when that theme draws to a somewhat tame, if amusing, conclusion the way is paved for a more intense and deliberately disjointed second half.

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