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REVIEWS

The cast of Ruined at the Almeida, London

Ruined
by Lynn Nottage
Almeida Theatre, London
Until June 5, 2010

'Ruined' is how this group of Congolese women describe themselves. Victims of appalling gang rapes they too are the spoils of that interminable war. Not only are they suffering from heinous injuries, but also they then are shunned by their families and forced to leave home. Without the status which marriage bestows, their future is grim and many turn to prostitution.

This amazing new play was commissioned by the Goodman Theatre of Chicago in a co–production with the Manhattan Theatre Club, it won every award going last year including the Pulitzer Prize, and deservedly so.

Mama Nadi (Jenny Jules) is the matriarch of a bar–bordello deep in the Congolese jungle. Like Mother Courage she avoids politics, welcomes everyone so long as they have the cash and leave their bullets behind the bar. Fiercely proud of her business, she rules over her girls like a strict Mother Hen. "When things are good everybody gets some when things are bad Mama eats first", she warns.

Jules shines in this great part. She may be a user but she retorts, "you come in here to take your pleasure and then you want to judge me". This is no hooker–with–a–heart–gold story however and it doesn't shirk from harsh realities of the situation. For these women, Mama does have a point when she maintains that, they are safer with her.

Her travelling salesman friend Christian (Lucian Msamati, in a beautifully modulated performance) brings her the luxuries she requires to keep her clientele of soldiers and miners entertained, but one day he turns up with two "ruined" girls in tow. Simple farm worker Salima and his bright young niece Sophie are given great full–blooded performances by Michelle Asante and Pippa Bennett–Warner. Sophie has been so damaged by the soldiers that her duties in the bar are confined to just cleaning and singing. The songs she sings are by Nottage and Dominic Kanza. Played on stage with simple guitar and percussion they wonderfully enhance the mood of the piece, as does Robert Jones' stunning set. The huge gaudy shack (on a great revolve) is hemmed in by dense jungle vegetation, adding to the claustrophobia.

The play is full of memorable characters. Steve Toussaint impresses as Commander Osembenga, leader of the govt army. A giant of a man he appears like a Masai warrior but decked out in lurid yellow Adidas. Kehinde Fadipe also throws some gloriously lithe dance moves as the main girl Josephine.

Inevitably Mama Nadi gets caught in the crossfire and Nottage builds the suspense expertly here. Salima's husband, who had rejected her, turns up looking for her but Mama denies all knowledge, with tragic consequences. Sophie, who is entrusted with the accounts, dips her finger in the till, gets punished but so impresses Mama with her daring that Mama decides to help her escape to a better life with Mr Harari (Silas Carson). He is the only white man around, a dashing but dubious Lebanese metals trader. We learn that key to this war is the battle for control of the tin and coltan markets – raw materials in all our mobile phones.

The play impresses in that it encompass so much – sexual politics, history, the morality of war and does all this while telling a great tale with compelling characters. Director Indhu Rubasingham has moulded some great performances from this ensemble and it is certainly unusual to see a modern American play, which is not about America. Nottage is certainly someone to watch.