Spoken word: The 14th Tale @ Arcola Theatre, 18 – 20 March 09
Spoken word artist – Inua Ellams
Poet and graphic artist Inua Ellams hit the Arcola Theatre to perform his free-flowing narrative The 14th Tale. This auto-biographical play is the result of what sounds like a difficult writing process. Inua remarks in the programme note, “I considered throwing in the towel” but he eventually came to find something original to write about: the tale of a mischievous boy journeying through his days on the streets of Nigeria then to the rooftops of Dublin and London.
Considering that Inua is a visual artist, one might expect to see a busy and vibrant backdrop for this play. But quite the contrary; his artistic eye guided him to an incredibly simple set consisting of nothing more than a black room, a chair and a torch. The costume is the same – simple, but cleverly versatile.
In a performance where there is only one voice to listen to, the actor faces the difficulty of holding the audience’s attention and avoid sounding monotonous. But Inua’s tone was full of variations in the delivery of this rich and articulate script. Changes in his pitch, volume and intention were well-measured and timely. However, the young performer did add a slightly irritating ‘breathy’ quality to every line he delivered, be it an angry, sad or mischievous sentiment that he was trying to express. This was no doubt intended to bring a dramatic, theatrical feel to the performance. However, it would have been more effective if used consciously and infrequently.
The 14th Tale is great play for those that like down-to-earth drama in a somewhat raw but cosy setting. It’s a good length, and draws to a classy conclusion. Inua is an eloquent speaker and his performance in this piece is simple, unfussy, and definitely worth watching.
