The Return of Benjamin Lay – Finborough Theatre
Can one make a statement and beg to be brought back to the fold, renouncing all principles? Can one's desire to be accepted be stronger than one's principles?
The Return of Benjamin Lay, written in collaboration between Naomi Wallace and Marcus Rediker, under the direction of Ron Daniels, and with acting by Mark Povinelli as Benjamin Lay, is a striking piece about a very interesting historical character. The treatment Povinelli gives the character is on its own, remarkable, and hits all the right nerves. The stage of the Finborough Theatre is made almost bare, with the windows letting in the noise and images of the cars from outside, and from the place where this reviewer was sitting, the sun was hitting in the faces of the audience.
The set design, by Riccardo Hernandez and Isobel N...