This review has been taken from my NSDF blog, written for the Peter de Haan Charitable Trust.
RLJ Productions' In Loving Memory tackles the contemporary social issue of youth gun culture through a tight piece of dance theatre. Taking much of its structure from the idea of the funeral procession, the audience are shown, in a series of flashbacks, the choices and consequences that led protagonist Sean to this lifestyle and his premature death. Inspiration is drawn from a wide range of cultural sources, Pina Bausch to Def Jam records, and the news footage of gun-crime's victim's funerals, which are becoming more and more common, are a reference never far from the audience's minds. It is the movement direction and choreography which impresses most, the togetherness and discipline of the large and diverse ensemble leaving a lasting mark on those watching. The language used is in neatly structured verse and their declaiming style evokes the tribalism combined in both rap culture's gangland territory wars and Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. This is a worthwhile piece and is performed with great energy by an ensemble who make you feel this issue is as pressing for you as it is for them.
In Loving Memory: ***
Image courtesy of Ealing, Hammersmith and West London College.
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