An outstanding play that beautifully conveys both the beauty and the pain of suffering with mental health—and the people who love us through the worst of times.
I first encountered babirye’s work at Stratford East as part of the Burn it Down programme, where they presented Yummy, a show placed in a game where “nobody is eating.” I loved the work-in-progress, so I was really excited to see a fully fleshed-out production by them—especially since …blackbird hour acts as a sequel to …cake, their critically acclaimed debut at Theatre Peckham.
Visually, the stage is bathed in deep blue, inky light. A bed sits at its centre like a ship—such a striking choice because mental health struggles are so often tied to a life spent in bed. But here, the bed isn’t just a bed. It becomes a portal to other possibilities—through music, letters, journals, and memory, the days spent in it take on a different form entirely. Before the show begins, snippets of conversation drift in, setting the tone and inviting us into Eshe’s world… “Who hurt you?”