Reparations is a hard-hitting one-woman show that follows a young woman, Aisha, as she navigates life after a three-year stint in prison. Written and performed by playwright Maryam Garad, the play’s heart and soul is left out on stage, with precise monologues and a light sense of humour.
Garad’s characterisation of Aisha feels undeniably relatable and tangible, connecting her with suffering that crosses space and time. What really stands out is that she is strikingly direct with her audience; she speaks in real terms, with familiar slang—a nod to Aisha’s upbringing in a London council estate—being used to navigate the post-prison experience.
V, a wellness influencer, is pretty much the antithesis of everything our protagonist is. While Aisha is marked by both her criminality and racial status as a black woman, V is beloved by the masses, the picture of idealised Western beauty and, perhaps most importantly, has access to a whole new world for Aisha to explore. In moving between the VIP area of a club, going on a retreat in Peru, and even staying in high-class hotel suites, our protagonist is suddenly thrown into an environment previously unreachable. However, it becomes clearer as the play goes on, and as Aisha goes deeper into this world, that this lifestyle is not quite as fulfilling as it once seemed.
While the play certainly does successfully insert itself into social discourse around race, identity and performance, at times it felt as if the script was not given the necessary space. With the slightly rushed pacing and writing sometimes feeling unpolished, I felt that the play’s discussion of such heavy and uncomfortable topics required more time to fester in the audience’s minds and hearts. I left the venue feeling contemplative yet wanting to feel the necessary discomfort that comes with exploring such complex topics.
That being said, the work of Garad, and the entire team behind Reparations, packs a real punch and unabashedly confronts the injustice and racism so prevalent in British society. I would love to see the play as a miniseries, giving it more space to grow into itself as a bold and unflinching story.
Reparations is running until 30 August (not 24) at Above at Pleasance Courtyard.
Buy tickets here.
Image by Alice Gorman, provided to The Student as press material.
