Dessa Rose doesn't quite hit the mark.

By Ryan Ahern

Dessa Rose, by Ahrens and Flaherty, explores the relationship between a young African-American woman born to slavery and a young middle-class white woman in America’s antebellum South. Based on the novel by Sherley Anne Williams, Dessa Rose has been adapted rather clunkily by Ahrens leaving a piece that is difficult to truly empathise with.

With a cast of twelve and four musicians to fit into Studio 2 at Trafalgar Studios it was a difficult choice for the design team. Neil Brinkworth’s lighting design is simple and effective, I particularly loved his creation of the ‘stars’. Although I enjoyed the choice for simplicity, Garance Marneur’s set was less successful. With the musical director/pianist and cellist placed on stage, little was done to either set them apart or involve them in the world of the show.

Ben Newsome has done an excellent job in the casting of the two lead actresses (Cynthia Erivo and Cassidy Janson). Cynthia Erivo’s Dessa Rose commands the stage and her presence is astounding. Erivo’s version of Twelve Children, the song that ends the first act, is simply stunning. Erivo again cements herself as the future of British musical theatre in Dessa Rose. Cassidy Janson’s Ruth is also beautifully executed. Janson finds some beautiful moments in material that is quite clearly flawed and has a great ability to express emotion on stage. I was also very fond of Edward Baruwa’s Nathan and Fela Ludaeju performances.

With the audience on three sides, sightlines were skewed at times for anyone sitting anywhere but in the centre section and it therefore seemed to be a production that would better suit a more traditional audience arrangement. Dessa Rose does not naturally seem like the right show for a studio space and Andrew Keates’ staging struck me as somewhat odd. Keates’ decision to often move the action of the scene to the side of the stage, leaving the centre clear and empty, often left me confused as it pulled the already confined space into something even more minute. Sam Spencer Lane’s movement however worked beautifully to create something streamlined and visually striking.

Whilst I wasn’t completely won over by the production there is definitely some strong moments and images created. I feel that the creative team was fighting a battle to create empathy with a book that simply doesn’t contain much understanding and whilst they did succeed at times I felt that their abilities would be better put to use on a more fully formed piece in a different space. With Porgy and Bess currently playing in London and Scottsboro Boys soon to make its return, the material for Dessa Rose simply pales in comparison to these pieces that greater explore the idea of racism in America’s South.

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