Hackney Showroom presents The Legends of Them at Brixton House

2023 is a momentous year for Hackney Showroom. Hot off the heels of their award-winning BURGERZ by Travis Alabanza which had its final shows in March this year, followed by a run of their new show Tomorrow Is Already Dead by Ms Sharon Le Grand at Soho Theatre in June and the launch of their new stage on wheels, the Bobby Dazzler, Hackney Showroom in association with Brixton House, today announces the world première of The Legends of Them.

Written and performed by award-winning reggae star, leading actor and Brixton luminary Sutara Gayle AKA Lorne Gee,marking her debut show as a writer-performer, the production, directed by Jo McInnes, opens at Brixton House on 19 September with previews from 14 September and runs until 30 September.

The Legends of Them charts the story of Sutara Gayle’s extraordinary life – a pioneering female deejay on London’s infamous reggae scene in the 1980s, Lorna Gee cut her cloth performing for the legendary Saxone, Coxsone and Nasty Rockers sound systems. A run-in with Linton Kwesi Johnson whilst waiting in the dole queue inspired her to write her first single Three Weeks Gone (mi Giro) which she heard for the first time on the radio whilst doing a stint in Holloway Prison. Going on to have her hit single Got To Find A Way in the reggae charts for 6 weeks, Lorna won the BC Radio London Reggae awards 2 years in a row in 1985 and 1986, followed by the 1992 New York, Tamika Reggae Award for best female Deejay.

In 1985 her sister Cherry Groce was shot by the police, sparking the second Brixton Uprising and this landmark event in British history provides the socio-political backdrop to this compelling story. In her darkest hour, Lorna’s brother – internationally renowned guru Mooji – takes her to India to experience her first Satsang (spiritual gathering) and it is Lorna’s spiritual encounter – with the 3 legends in her life as her spiritual guides, her mother, sister and ancestry Nanny of the Maroons – which frames this story. Neither a conventional play or musical, The Legends of Them is a unique theatrical, shared spiritual experience. Expect a no holds barred, intimate encounter with an outstanding virtuoso performer who conjures multiple characters in this epic story.

THE LEGENDS OF THEM

Written and performed by Sutara Gayle AKA Lorna Gee

14 September – 30 September

Press night: 19 September

Directed by Jo McInnes; Sound Designer Tony Gayle; Projection Designer Gino Ricardo Green;

Lighting Designer Joshua Harriette; Composer & Musical Director Christella Litras; Associate Director Martina Laird; Costume Designer Melissa Simon-Hartman

Co-created by Nina Lyndon & Jo McInnes.

Darkness descends at the Pink House in Tiruvannamalai, India. As the storm cracks through the windows, Lorna’s memories pierce their way through the silence. The legends of her life come to guide her – her mother Euphemia, her sister Cherry and her ancestor, Nanny of the Maroons. But will Lorna find the strength to face her demons?

Come, let our observer take your hand, as she leads us on an epic voyage of discovery.

With high octane musical numbers and a virtuoso solo performance, The Legends of Them is a unique theatrical experience brought to you by connoisseurs of experimental entertainment, Hackney Showroom.

Sutara Gayle says today “The process has been enlightening, challenging and therapeutic. Working with Hackney Showroom has been such an inspiration for me. Straight away Nina was moved by the story and supported me from the beginning and made me believe that I could write. I’ve learnt about trusting the process and allowing the story to unfold. I wrote the first draft whilst sat behind the curtains, dressed as Tina Turner’s grandma, during the run of Tina the Musical. There was something magical about being on stage whilst writing which enabled me to channel my own story.

“It’s been a long time coming and I’m so excited to share my story with the world. I’m on an onward journey, a journey that won’t stop until I take my last breath. My hope is that audiences come away feeling that they can embrace their own journey, take control of their own narrative and stand in their own power.”

Sutara Gayle is a British-Jamaican actress with a wealth of credits spanning the last 3 decades across both drama & comedy. In 2023 she can be seen playing Gemma Whiteley in the Britbox/BBC One crime drama series Magpie Murders and she’s due to star in the new seasons of Outlander, Supacell and Black Cake. In 2022 she starred in the 5th series of the BBC’s popular crime drama Strike. She has appeared in a number of critically acclaimed BBC shows such as hit comedy Ghosts, Silent Witness, the Jimmy McGovern BAFTA nominated drama Anthony and played Linda in Steve McQueen’s Golden Globe winning Small Axe. Her theatre credits include Paradise (National Theatre), Tina: The Tina Turner Musical (Aldwych Theatre), A Tale of Two Cities (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), Guys and Dolls (Savoy Theatre and UK tour), and At the Table and Almost Nothing (Royal Court Theatre). For film, Viral, Anthony, Carmilla, A Caribbean Dream, SuperBob, The Dark Night and Run Fatboy Run.

As Lorna Gee, she is the 2012 BEFFTA and HiCrEc award winner for outstanding contribution to reggae music. The 1985 smash hit ‘Gotta Find a Way’ placed her at the top of the Reggae charts for 6 weeks for which she received recognition with two BBC Radio London Reggae Awards for Best Female Artist 1985 and 1986. Lorna has been crowned one of the Queens of Lovers Rock with fellow singers Janet Kay and Carroll Thompson. She was presented with the prestigious Lovers Rock Gala Award for her contribution to Lovers Rock music at The Brixton Academy in 2008.

Jo McInnes directs. Jo McInnes is an actor, director and the Associate Director of Hackney Showroom. She is currently playing the Nurse in Rebecca Freknell’s Romeo & Juliet at the Almeida. Recent credits include: Medea (Soho Place), The Corn is Green (National Theatre); The Jungle (Old Vic, West End, St Ann’s Warehouse).

As director credits include: For All The Women Who Thought They Were Mad (Hackney Showroom) The Hardest Rain (The Old Vic), 36 Phone Calls (Hampstead Theatre), Another Place (Theatre Royal Plymouth), I Can Hear You (RSC and Royal Court Theatre), Carpe Diem (National Theatre), Running on Empty (Soho Theatre), Vera, Vera, Vera, Red Bud (Royal Court Theatre), Christmas (Bush Theatre). Her television credits include The Verdict.

THE LEGENDS OF THEM LISTINGS

Brixton House

14 September – 30 September

Press night: 19 September

Ticket prices: £21, £17 concessions. Previews £15.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

HACKNEY SHOWROOM

“Diversity, inclusivity and uniqueness are behind everything staged at Hackney Showroom. Nina and Sam provide the space for each artist and company to produce new work you wouldn’t catch somewhere else” Evening Standard

Hackney Showroom is a hybrid between a grassroots community and artists’ space and an award-winning theatre company. We work with some of the most experimental voices in the UK, offering them a rigorous approach to developing their practice, paving the way for artists to make astonishing and memorable work.

Hackney Showroom productions are:
– For All the Women Who Thought They Were Mad by Zawe Ashton, 2019 (supported by the Cockayne Grants for the Arts). ★★★★The Stage; ★★★★ Observer.

– BURGERZ by Travis Alabanza, winner of a Total Theatre award at the Edinburgh Fringe and part of the prestigious British Council showcase, 2018/2019. ★★★★★ EdFestMag – Lyn Gardner ★★★★ Guardian; ★★★★ The Stage.

– Frau Welt by Peter Clements & Oliver Dawe, 2017/2018. ★★★★ The Scotsman ★★★★★ The LGBTQ Arts Review; ★★★★★ To Do List.

The Legends of Them is Hackney Showroom’s second production in 2023, following the smash hit Tomorrow Is Already Dead by Ms Sharon Le Grand which ran for two weeks in June at Soho Theatre and plays at Latitude Festival in July ‘23.