Lyric Hammersmith’s newest production, Wedding Band, is a must see for fans of friendship, heartache, and star-crossed lovers.
Written in 1962 by award-winning American playwright Alice Childress, it tells the forbidden love story of Julia (Deborah Ayorinde), a Black woman, and Herman (David Walmsley), a white man, living in 1918 South Carolina where interracial relationships are illegal.
Fighting the odds
Racism and segregation aren’t the only threats to this love story.
America is at war, Spanish influenza is on the rise, money is tight and travel expensive and – something many can relate to – family drama hangs over the pair.
Quiet stars
The play opens with Julia and Herman celebrating their tenth anniversary, swapping handmade gifts and even a wedding ring as a promise of a brighter future.
Small gestures throughout – like Julia reminding Herman his sock size or him keeping her aunt’s ashes safe while she moves house – demonstrate their loving years together.
However, it’s Julia’s friendships with her neighbours Lula (Diveen Henry) and Mattie (Bethan Mary-James), and her landlady Fanny (Lachele Carl) – who proudly claims to be the only Black woman in the local area allowed to own property – that quietly steal the show.
The four provide comedic relief that lightens the plot, and their story of female friendship endures against and grows despite the challenges of poverty, racism, segregation, and bad luck that develop through the second act.
Clever staging
Paul Wills’ set is simple and clever.
We never leave the row of houses the play opens on, but through its creative design the cast and stagehands can move the walls, brining you into different characters’ homes.
No wall is fully built or decorated, allowing the orange backdrop to shine through and remind the audience of the heat and poverty the characters face in America’s deep south.
Book your tickets today
Wedding Band is on at Lyric Hammersmith until 29 June.
Dates include Friday 14 June with a post-show Q&A with Director Monique Touko and the cast, in conversation with Lyric Associate Director Nicholai La Barrie.
