Review: Forward by Marley Starkey-Joyner Alma Tavern Theatre

Really entertaining piece of theatre exploring loss, grief and finding joy in life again

Forward, by Marley Starkey-Joyner is a brand new piece of writing currently being staged by Misplaced Theatre at the Alma Tavern.

It’s a ridiculously good show. Just ten minutes in was enough to make me want to come back and revel in some utterly brilliant performances again.

Starkey-Joyner’s writing takes the audience through an exploration of grief from the perspective of the bereaved, the recently deceased and the supportive partner.

It’s both extremely funny and very moving.

Rozelle Gemma is Amina, a care-experienced young adult whose parents loved her but didn’t have the capability of parenting. She suddenly finds herself thrust into the afterlife after being hit by a shopping delivery van.

Rozelle gives a glorious performance, filling the the whole space of the Alma Tavern Theatre with Amina’s big and sometimes chaotic personality. We feel her frustrations, her anger but also sense her isolation both in life and death.

Frantically shouting “Unsubscribe” when she realises she’s a ghost had the audience in stitches. But equally, a quiet, heart-felt monologue delving into the abandonment by her parents builds clues to the defensive shield she carries with her.

Starkey-Joyner has created a character with complex depth. Amina breaks down stereotypical perceptions of Black culture in London and generalised societal expectations of those who grow up in the care system.

Against Rozelle is Nina Bright as Freyja, a white middle class professional who has recently moved into Amina’s flat following the death of her own mother. She’s precise, ordered but has become completely lost within her grief.

When the two are thrust together, the writing playfully pits their differences against each other. But it’s also their very differences that are exactly what each other needs to heal when thrust together at the worst time in their lives. Much in the way that youth is wasted on the young, life seems to be wasted on the living. Each learns to find the joy in life again which means they can both move on.

Susanna Amato plays Freyja’s partner Nadia, who is unable to break through Freyja’s grief to support her. Amato’s HR judge in the afterlife is simply glorious, making the audience roar with a just a look over her clipboard.

The shifting dynamics of the piece, the humour and pathos alongside three fantastic performances stops the journey from becoming a predictable ride.

Starkey-Joyner also directs, managing to make the intimate space of the Alma feel very much larger than it actually is. Amina cannot leave no matter which exit she tries, always finding herself back in another part of her flat. Freyja is also trapped in her flat which she has turned into a self-imposed prison. Interestingly, the culture clashes between the pair in the space feels like a sense of gentrification. Even more so when Freyja pipes up that she once lived in Hackney too.

Forward was a fantastically entertaining watch. It left the audience feeling uplifted but also with a little more care at looking both ways when crossing the road outside.

Forward runs at the Alma Tavern Theatre until 24 October 2024

For more information or to book, visit: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/almatheatrecompany/1294289?

For more information about Misplaced Theatre, visit: https://wearemisplaced.com/

Cast and Creatives
Nadia/Judge – Susanna Amato
Freyja – Nina Bright
Amina – Rozelle Gemma

Written and directed by Marley Starkey-Joyner
Lighting and sound – Billie-Jo Rainbird
Featured image and photography – Yamuna Shukla

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