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★★★½
At the end of last week I had the opportunity to visit the Omnibus Theatre in Clapham for the first time: an independent venue in South London. It is the current home of Anastasia Osei-Kuffour’s debut play ‘Love Steps’: a fusion of poetry, dance, theatre and music. Osei-Kuffour is known for her directorial work, specifically in Ryan Calais Cameron’s ‘Typical’. Whilst I didn’t get to see the show, as a fan of Calais Cameron, I was keen to catch his former collaborator in action with her own work.
Love Steps is semi-autobiographical, providing insight into the realities of being a single black woman in the turbulent world of dating. It is a multi-genre piece of theatre that addresses the trials and tribulations of finding love, questioning whether it is a measure of self-worth, against the backdrop of pressures from family and friends to settle down.
Structure and character development
It takes a minute to get your head around what this show is, as it crosses genres and artistic styles. It is carefully orchestrated by director Osei-Kuffour, with Sharon Rose taking centre stage as Anna in this transparent journey through the main character’s love life. Supported by Reece Richards in several smaller roles, the pair have undeniable chemistry, but aside from his part as Anna’s love interest of nearly two years, Richards is only given seconds to settle into the rhythms of each of the characters.
The audience is introduced to a high number of Anna’s friends and family members, for a 75 minute piece of theatre with a very small cast. Considering the slick pacing, I would have preferred to see the writer forgo the amount of people featured, in favour of more character development. That being said, Richards conveys many personalities within the piece and it is extremely admirable how much charisma and energy that he brings to them, despite the tight windows and rapid transitions.
Lyrical language and themes
Anastasia’s words practically roll off the tongue, with Rose delivering every phrase with clarity and engaging rhythm. The lyrical language lends itself so well to the fusion genre of the piece, with the words moulding into the musical sequences and segments of movement.
As much as I enjoyed the poetic language, for me, the words themselves don’t go deep enough. For example, Anna talks about the realities of being a black woman, specifically what it means to ‘be this hue’. I was longing for the work to go one step further and use this theatrical platform to shine a light on identity and belonging. The writing touches on this, but there is so much focus on Anna finding ‘the one’, that some of the more hard-hitting and impactful themes are left a little underexplored.
Choreography
Leroy ‘FX’ Dias Dos Santos’ choreography is effortless, with every movement being presented with liquid-like fluidity. The physical connection between Rose and Richards is electric, with every step and gesture carefully curated to focus on contact. Their partnership work is exquisite and a highlight of the production for me.
The future of Love Steps
A thoughtful and intelligent display of dance, music and poetry, Love Steps showcases the difficulty of finding love in today’s world, through a creative and visionary format. It is lyrical, emotive and artistic, telling Anastasia Osei-Kuffour’s semi-autobiographical narrative through beautiful movements and words. In my opinion it needs a little more depth and character development to truly soar, but the fusion of genres is ingenious. The show plays at the Omnibus Theatre from 03 – 20 April, before transferring to Talawa’s Studio Theatre Fairfield Halls from 29 May to 1 June. Tickets can be purchased via both theatres’ websites.
Thanks for reading my blog today.
Love Kat xxxx
*My ticket for Love Steps was gifted in exchange for an unbiased review.
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