Through the Mud
★★★★☆ Emotionally resonant
Summerhall (Venue 26): Thur 1 – Sun 25 Aug 2024
Review by Cyril Langston
A musical story of Black liberation, explored through the journeys of two generations of female activists in the United States, boldly and beautifully examines revolution in Apphia Campbell’s Through the Mud at Summerhall, co-produced by Stellar Quines and Royal Lyceum Theatre.
The performance, directed by Caitlin Skinner, follows Assata Shakur, infamous Black Panther in the 1960s and 70s and the first woman to be placed on the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists list; and also Ambrosia, a university student who is navigating the 2014 unrest in Ferguson, Missouri in the early days of the Black Lives Matter movement. Accompanied by entrancing original music by writer Apphia Campbell, their interwoven stories unfold on stage as the injustices connecting their experiences through the decades echo.
Apphia Campbell and Tinashe Warikandwa. Pic Stuart Armitt
The two activists’ perspectives are beautifully woven together. Shakur’s true story, portrayed by Apphia Campbell, is harrowing. Through the Mud follows from her early days in the Black Panthers, through to her eventual arrest and escape from prison to reach Cuba, where she still lives in exile. Every line and movement of Campbell’s portrayal is deeply emotionally resonant.
Anchoring the 21st century half of this story, Tinashe Warikandwa’s Ambrosia moves to St Louis, Missouri for university, where she stands by the messaging her father always taught her, that she should respect authority and especially law enforcement. She disagrees with her peers that racism is still as rife in the criminal justice system as they claim.
When tragedy strikes her neighbouring community of Ferguson with the murder by police of Michael Brown, Ambrosia gets swept up in the resulting unrest and experiences another side of the system she had previously thought just.
unwavering
Well-cultivated contemporary news clips, designed by Ellie Thompson and Heather Scott, are laced throughout the performance to powerfully complement Campbell’s writing. The bold lighting, designed by Emma Jones, works with Campbell and Warikandwa to achieve a seamless transition between the decades.
Through the Mud’s message is unwavering – it’s an invitation for reflection on a system in which racial injustice colours everything. Campbell and Warikandwa’s command of the poetry, dialogue, music, and readings unite to present an intense, moving piece of work that faces its difficult themes with steadfast power and strength.
Running time: One hour and 10 minutes (no interval)
Summerhall (Main Hall), 1 Summerhall, EH9 1PL (venue 26)
Thursday 1 – Sunday 25 August 2024
Daily (Not 7, 12, 19): 5.55 pm
Details and tickets at: Book here
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ENDS
