|
|
|
|
|
|
Corey Campbell as Rex,
left, Daniel
Anderson as Dane and Marcel White as Chez. Seaview Belgrade Theatre Coventry **** The red-carpet premiere of Seaview in the main house was a glittering affair at the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry. The screening of the first three episodes stars young actors from the Birmingham School of Acting and Strictly Arts in collaboration with newly appointed Artistic Director, breath of fresh air Corey Campbell who introduced the screenings. The action takes place in the West Midlands including Coventry in and around The Belgrade, Seaview is gritty; a black, working class, aspirational family doing well in a challenging environment then felled by a seismic event not of their making. Steven (Reice Weathers), the baby of the family, is a newly qualified lawyer with an undiagnosed medical problem that leaves him vulnerable and confused. Sherelle (Aimee Powell) is a budding research scientist at Coventry University with her eye on sickle cell anaemia as her career challenge. Older brothers Chez (Marcel White) and Cassius (Jordan Laidley), studying art and doing well, are detailed to look out for their baby brother Steven at a house party and then at a club in Coventry City Centre. Chez has recently ‘retired’ from some dodgy dealings at the Seven Stars Barbers with a view to buying into a club but things do not go to plan, to say the least; the brothers’ choices leave them on the wrong side of the law and running scared. The three episodes screened on premiere night were gripping. Three more episodes are in the making with three different writers providing plot twists. I, for one, hope to see the story conclude some time soon. But the screenings were only a part of the evening’s entertainment. My children always laughed at my need to arrive at the theatre early to see the audience arrive. Boy, oh boy, it was really rewarding. I can safely say that I have never seen so many beautifully turned out people in my life. Even with the lights dimmed the sequins, silk and satin were shining brightly – and that was just the men! The actors, creatives and friends were in attendance and it was so packed in the house that I started the evening bumping bottoms with Trish Adudu! More please. Written by Sophie Ellerby, Annabel Brightling, Rory Rawson and Sophia Griffin, Seaview will be screened in B2 to 13-11-21. Jane Howard 10-11-21 |
|
|
|
