Perspective 1: Joi Foote

When asked if I had one word to describe the world premiere of Coming to England, I struggled to find just one that would sum up the experiences of watching Floella Benjamin’s book come to life. The manner in which she, alongside David Wood, was able to take her story and turn it into something so beautiful was remarkable.

Coming to England follows a young Benjamin as her family make the move from Trinidad to England. A move that brought with it the shocking racist reality of England in the 1960’s. Families across the Caribbean were encouraged to make the move and rebuild the country after the war, restoring Britain to its former glory. It was described as the land of opportunity: a place for a better life. However, it wasn’t until they arrive that she is confronted with a world where people see the colour of her skin before they see her as a person.

The parallels in music and costuming aided in reflecting the differing of experiences in Trinidad and England. Initially we are presented with bright costumes paired nicely with music that excited the auditorium. In particular, the carnival scene was an obvious favourite, as the audience applauded and cheered the musical number: a true celebration of Caribbean culture. Immediately after the interval, the cast can be seen dressed in grey overalls – with this change comes a loss of individuality and personality.

I thought this was such a new and unique perspective to display the stories from the Windrush generation from the standpoint of a child and how someone so young navigated this. A truly moving story of resilience ahead of Windrush day that takes place on the 22nd June. Incorporated within this performance were lessons that we can all take away with us. Lessons to never lose faith or give up hope; to remain strong and believe in our dreams and lastly to smile in the face of adversity.

This isn’t a fanciful or made-up story of events, rather it is the real and lived experiences of Benjamin. This story was close to her heart and every single audience member could feel that. As she took to the stage, she reminded us that this is not just her story; it crosses generational borders. It’s a story for all those who too made the move to England and had similar experiences, those whose grandparents are a part of this generation.

Having had the pleasure of attending a number of theatre performances, it was refreshing to see such a diverse audience. I encourage adults, children, and families alike to watch and enjoy Coming to England. It certainly is not one to miss as British and Caribbean history is being told in a way that has not been told before.

Rating: 5/5

Perspective 2: Fisola Kelly

Coming to England is a dynamic family show about Baroness Dame Floella Benjamin’s journey from Trinidad to England in the 60s. Despite the racism she faced in Britain, she became a politician, author and actress. David Wood adapts the autobiographical children’s book by Benjamin with help from director and choreographer Omar F Okai.

It is a beautiful story about finding a new home, told through the eyes of a young girl. The beats of the story are simple. There is life in Trinidad and then life in England. The Benjamin family is severed when Floella’s dad travels to England alone in search of a job. It was nice to see that Floella’s dad had other ambitions, not just to work – he was a jazz saxophonist. It is important to remember that an array of Caribbeans and other migrants came to England with varying dreams. At 10 years old, Floella goes to England with the rest of her family. There is anticipation of ‘a city paved with gold’ but the reality was a struggle of racism and post-war poverty.

There are moments of overt racism when white characters yell phrases such as ‘your kind shouldn’t be here’ or more covert forms when Floella’s teacher in England says ‘you are smarter than you look.’ Floella’s triumph is the turning of her anger at the situation into resilience and strength; she achieves all that she does across her life.

The stand out moment for me was the brightness of the carnival scene. It felt like Trinidadian culture was imported on stage and celebrated for its vibrancy and uniqueness. The steel drums and calypso sounds in the musical score and Bretta Gerecke’s set design preserves the colour and brightness of the book. It made you want to get up and dance and this worked well with the elements of audience interactivity; the rendition of ‘If you are happy and you know it’ reminiscent of Floella’s Playschool television days. The show felt alive and engaged with the audience.

Paula Kay’s performance of Floella was brilliant. She had a powerful command of the stage and her voice was very impressive. She really carried the persona of a young girl in London for the first time. The cast also did a fantastic job of portraying a family that goes through something life changing migration. The relationships and other characters weren’t very well fleshed out but their occupations and achievements were stated at the end of the musical.

The change in the story occurs mainly in Floella as she learns to be successful in England, but this is where most of my criticism lies. There is a false sense of positivity and its effect on racism. The idea that just determination and a smile can tackle systemic and societal racism feels very out of touch with reality. I appreciate its attempt to capture the levity and laughter that exists in immigrant life but some of the takes on racism did not sit right with me at all.

As a victim of racism, it is not your job to stoically endure it. Racists need to take accountability for the racism they perpetrate, governments need to take accountability for systemic racism and individuals need to take accountability for the spates of racism in everyday interactions. The story felt like it glorified assimilation and respectability and there was an uncomfortable amount of pride in the Empire from the Trinidadian characters. 

I did enjoy seeing Benjamin’s personal history, Caribbean history, and in turn British history on stage. It gives a younger generation access to the stories of Windrush history albeit in a watered down version. Theatre does a brilliant job at preserving the stories of generations and it was a great form to explore this story.                                                        

Rating: 3/5

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