‘Joyous Black culture’
Bank Holiday weekend is upon us, and Carnival is flicking its feathers triumphantly around Notting Hill. But I realise the cacophony isn’t for everyone. Where else will you get your dose of joyous Black culture under the sun and stars?
Well, Barbican Outdoor Cinema has got you covered! After the dust has settled Tuesday night has all the fashion, music and theatre of Carnival, while seated and relatively sheltered from the elements. A long line of films has graced this summer’s inflatable screen, from Little Shop of Horrors to David Lynch’s Dune, all in the Romanesque shell of Sculpture Court. Grab a rum and coke or a hot chocolate from the Jurassic Park-like greenhouse and get ready to raise the roof-if there were one.
Julien Henriques’s pioneering 1998 film is considered to be the UK’s first Black musical. Be transported to the streets of 90s London and dive into a world of reggae, dancehall, community, clothes and heart bursting at the seams. We meet Anita, played by Anjela Lauren Smith, a talented young woman juggling motherhood, relationships and the drive to become a star. Think Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand and Lady Gaga (A Star is Born), but in Harlesden. Her trio of friends/bandmates Sharon (Caroline Chikezie) and Yvette (Jocelyn Esien) support her through thick and thin, though the issues of money, time and motherhood press down on them all.
Shot on location, there is a reality that blends with the melodrama and self-awareness of the big-band musicals of the 30s and 40s. The costumes are a visual feast from scene to scene. The girls change hair, make-up and style at every opportunity. Baggy trousers and crop tops, hairpieces like sculptural works of art, and enough bling to dazzle—we start to look forward to each change of scene just to see what treasures are pulled out. A time capsule of a long-gone era, not a smartphone in sight, but with trends running through local and larger circles.
Some catchy songs stick, although overall the energetic numbers land better than the slower ballads. The pressure of being a triple threat weighs heavily on our lead, but Lauren Smith sells the stage scenes sublimely, arguably the most challenging. Wil Johnson, as the dangerously handsome love interest Bryon, equally thrives on stage in bright orange taffeta, and the girls’ sing-off battle against him is a highlight of musical and sartorial flair. The deconstruction of parenthood, blackness, feminism, ambition and late-90s London is layered, and the characters breaking suddenly into song somehow feels less incongruous than in many modern musicals.
We are thrown into a world of underground battles, parties high in tower blocks, recording studios and long walks in the park with toddlers. It covers the obvious issues of deprivation but always strives to find joy and resilience. After all, it is a musical of the classic vein, and when the inevitable happy ending arrives, we are overjoyed for all involved. Despite the cold summer breeze rippling the screen and nipping at our heels, we are warmed by a bombastic tale of human drive, talent and creativity.
Even if you miss Carnival this year, the best elements—fashion, music and community—are brilliantly covered in Babymother. Keep an eye on the website for next summer, and book some tickets to have something to keep you going through the long, wet misery ahead!
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