Photo: Helen Murray
Limp Wrist and the Iron Fist at Brixton House Theatre was nothing short of electric, a play that’s not just important but gloriously entertaining. It’s funny, heartwarming, and unflinchingly true to the lives it represents. Each character feels like a facet of what it might mean to be Black and queer today: tender, defiant, exhausted, and alive all at once.
The performances are uniformly strong, but the standout is Omari, played with fierce vulnerability by Tyler Orphé-Baker. His intensity grounds the play, every glance, every silence, feels heavy with truth. There are moments that made me laugh out loud and others that seemed to have the whole room in tears.
Yes, there are references to sexual assault and other sensitive topics, so go in knowing that, but they’re handled with honesty and care. The pain here isn’t for shock value; it’s for recognition.
Some might call it cliché: the way the monologues stack, each voice taking its turn in the spotlight; but when the stories are this real, this necessary, that structure becomes a chorus rather than a crutch.
Emmanuel Akwafo’s writing moves like poetry. There’s rhythm to it- a kind of tide that pulls you in and won’t let go. His dialogue sings even in silence. There’s even a running joke about Beyoncé the bus driver that I won’t spoil, but it’s one of those moments that shows how humour can coexist with heartbreak.
Set mostly at a bus stop and on the bus itself, the play traces four queer men trying (and failing) to make it to their night out, a journey that becomes something bigger. Maybe the bus is a metaphor, maybe it isn’t. Either way, it’s a brilliant choice: a liminal space where waiting, longing, and living all collide.
Directed by Nathanael Campbell, Limp Wrist and the Iron Fist is a standout, raw, radiant, and deeply necessary. It captures the laughter, pain, and poetry of Black queer life with rare authenticity.
Black queer lives matter. And this play makes sure you feel why.
Reviewer: Zandra Odetunde
Reviewed: 11th November 2025
North West End UK Rating:
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