random/generations – a double bill of plays by debbie tucker green

Chichester Festival Theatre, Minerva auditorium, until June 2

The South African Cultural Choir opens the evening with a joyful explosion of music, movement and colour, invading the acting space. Throughout generations, the choir acts as a chorus and counterpoint to moments of high tension and revelation.

The piece, inspired by the devastation of Aids in Africa, shows how one family, across three generations, deals with grief and loss. The spare, poetic language is unrealistic, unexpected, but nonetheless effective. The repetitious poetic phrases convey the essence of one conversation continued over the years, developing different moods and tones, as the younger family members disappear. Throughout, the writing and structure sustain the story.

In random, a monologue, Petra Latang gives a bravura performance. Like generations, this is a portrait of a family dealing with grief, loss and the reactions of those around them. Originally a response to the deaths of young black men in London in 2007-2008, the piece remains relevant for this year.

Latang’s mastery is breathtaking, as she portrays movingly the physical and emotional awkwardness of youth. Awoken to another boring working day, by the afternoon her cheeky teenage brother has been murdered in an apparently random attack.

As in generations, the events are not shown, only the effects – ably conveyed through Green’s meticulous observation: telling the family the boy has been attacked, the police greet their anxiety with the chilling words “There’s no need to rush”; the “brown stuff” on the boy’s phone that is, of course, dried blood; the banality of giving directions to the police driver while being returned home after viewing the body.

Director Tinuke Craig and a superb cast create a stunning and memorable piece of theatre.

Margaret Evans