Many one-person shows are representative of an increasingly popular genre - the theatre of personal catharsis. Elephant written, composed and performed by Anoushka Lucas is no exception, but it is a truly first rate example of its type. Lucas' character, Lylah, is the child of Indian, Cameroonian, French and English heritage who strives to come to terms with the issues of race and class that form the context of her socialisation and ambivalent sense of self. As an individual she is brought up to assimilate into a white middle-class society, but as a professional musician she is faced with an industry that wants to accentuate her race and working-class roots, denying the complexity of who she is. Lylah's struggle with issues of self-acceptance becomes tangled into her desperate desire to be accepted by others as she attempts to become an individual who is not defined by the racial and class lenses that both she, and others, constantly see her through. Indeed, her brief pondering of what makes someone "cool" is an amusing extension of the play's general meditation on belonging. Also, nicely woven throughout the piece is an extended metaphor about the creation of a piano which parallels Lylah's own origin story. Fashioned from the mahogany tree which is harvested from land which later becomes slave plantations and with keys made of ivory culled from the cruel sacrifice of elephants, the instrument creates music which transcends the barriers and confusions of social and personal identity. And, almost ironically, the piano which is a product of this destruction of nature and the enslavement of Lylah's ancestors also allows her to express her evolving sense of self and to share that experience with others, finding commonality in a world riddled with racial and social division. Music becomes the language which allows Lylah to express a growing self-knowledge and to touch others. In fact, Lucas' songs and playing are the highpoint of the show. The vignettes from her childhood and her relationship with her musician boyfriend, Leo, are ultimately only context for the music. However, this is not to diminish Lucas' strong dramatic performance which deserves the ovation it receives. With the only real prop in the show being the piano, Lucas moves constantly over, around and about it in a manner which emphasises its essentiality to Lylah's journey and ensures that the audience's attention never lapses. Elephant is a personal exploration underpinned by some trenchant social commentary that makes it a first rate example of its genre.
Rated: ★★★★★
Reviewed by J.C.
Photo by Manuel Harlan
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