Sleepova – Bush Theatre

Sleepova written by Matilda Feyiṣayọ Ibini, is a celebration of black girlhood as a quartet of friends transition into their adult lives. 

We start in the months before their GCSE exams at the first sleepover of a group of four best friends. To celebrate Shan’s 16th birthday the girl’s share gossip, eat popcorn and explore their fears for their changing lives and their current struggles. Through their subsequent sleepovers, Ibini discusses issues like religion, grief, sexuality, maturing into adulthood and the struggles of living with chronic illness. 

Each of the characters had a distinctive flair and the quartet is bursting with chemistry, that you would believe they had been friends since childhood. Although 3 out of the four actresses are making their stage debut, you would not know it from how perfectly they each embody their characters.

Shan played by Aliyah Odoffin is a newly 16-year-old girl, who lives with sickle cell disease but tries not to let it dictate her life. She is struggling to understand her own mortality and worrying about whether she should even think about the future. Rey played by Amber Grappy is a bold and unapologetic queer girl, who is proud of her identity but struggles with her identity within her family, she often deflects from herself using cutting sarcastic remarks. Elle played by Shayde Sinclair is nicknamed the resident pastor by her friends, she is a Christian girl with extremely strict, repressive parents, struggling with her sexuality and identity. Sinclair does an excellent job at delivering some of the show’s darkest moments and making the audience sympathise and understand her despite the awful things she says.

The last member of the group is Funmi, played by Bukky Bakray (a member of BAFTA breakthrough programme) is utilized as comedic relief. Bukkray does a fantastic job, when combining the dialogue and her natural charm she portrays this character excellently. Her eccentricities linked with her fascination with her Yoruba heritage make her an incredibly light and enjoyable character. However, Funmi has a great arc as we see her work through grief and share her real feelings.

The costume designer Cara Evans did a lovely job at differentiating the girls and showing their personalities through their clothes. The best of this is shown through their prom outfits. Each one feels specific to where in their development and unique personality the characters have.

The humour in this play was spot on, although some of it relied on cultural Black-British nuances. However, I don’t think someone outside of the cultural context would feel excluded due to the open environment of the audience and the shared experience we all have of being a teenager.

Jade Lewis, the director, made some fantastic choices, especially regarding dialogue. She makes the characters and their interactions feel so realistic as to how teenagers would speak to one another. Each of the characters talk over each other; their dialogue is not very fast paced or perfect. It feels rough which makes the show feel gritty and real.  Setting all performances in a relaxed environment made for a unique of being able to add commentary to the performance. Alongside this there are also sensory adapted performances available and access to quiet spaces if required. This feature of accessibility I believe adds to the experience of being at a girl’s sleepover and encourages everyone to visit.

A hilariously fun and touching watch, it made me reminisce about my school days and the importance of having true friends supporting you through the dark and difficult times.

Sleepova is playing at the Bush Theatre until 8th April. You can get tickets here: https://www.bushtheatre.co.uk/  

Reviewer: Zara Odetunde

Reviewed: 9th March 2023

North West End UK Rating: ★★★★★