Liberation at the Royal Exchange Theatre

Review by Steve Cooke

Liberation, a new commission by the Royal Exchange, is one of the main theatrical offerings of this year's Manchester International Festival [MIF25].

This brand new political drama written by Ntombizodwa Nyoni and directed by Monique Touko is based on true events and perfect for MIF25.

The plot follows activists that were speakers at the Fifth Pan-African Congress held in Chorlton-on-Medlock Town Hall. Veteran activists George Padmore (Eamonn Walker) and second wife London-born activist, Dorothy Pizer (Nicola Stephenson) welcome to Manchester co-organisers, Jomo Kenyatta (Tonderai Munyevu) of Kenya and Jamaican Activist Amy Ashwood-Garvey (Pamela Nomvete).

This old guard are joined by ambitious new blood such as Padmore’s mentee Kwame Nkrumah (Eric Kofi Abrefa), who wants to free the Gold Coast from colonial rule. Nkrumah is joined by his friends, wise Ghanaian law graduate Joe Appiah (Joshua Roberts-Mensah) and charismatic medical student Makumalo Hlubi (Rudolphe Mdlongwa) from South Africa. Arriving on the scene is the quick-witted and sharp tongued Alma La Badie (Leonie Elliot), from Jamaica who campaigns on behalf of orphans of British women and African-American soldiers who left after the war.

A massive strength of the play is  characterisation and excellent dialogue brought to life by powerful performances from the whole ensemble. They bring these historical characters to life in a way that transcends a stage play as the curtain is pulled back on a landmark moment in Africa and Manchester’s shared history.

The excellent cast are all given time to shine as they play off each other fully engaging the audience throughout.

Paul Willis’s brilliantly minimalist set design superbly keep the focus on the actors. A hexagonal LED screen sets the scene with images from post-war Manchester, photos of historical moments and character introductions.  Impressively the screen actually lowers to become the bar at the Cosmopolitan.

The excellent costume design (by Sunny Dolat) allows each character to stand out and fit the time period.

The music composed by Ife Ogunjobi gives the Liberation a unique beat and rhythm.

The show is well paced across two acts over two hours with a twenty minute interval in between.

Tickets for Liberation at the Royal Exchange Theatre visit: https://www.royalexchange.co.uk/event/liberation/

Produced by the Royal Exchange Theatre and Factory International, Manchester, Liberation is showing at the Royal Exchange Theatre until the 26th  July.