Shalom Baby @ Theatre Royal Stratford East - A Review

Shalom Baby is the new play from writer and director Ricky Beadle Blair, which runs at the Theatre Royal Stratford East until 19 November.

Juxtaposing the lives of a Jewish family caught up in the madness of 1940s Berlin and a dysfunctional Jewish family in present day New York, as with all of Beadle Blair's work it's a rather challenging play. It  deals with issues as diverse as anti-semitism, racism, homophobia and drug abuse with a boldness that few other writers would dare to attempt, and for the most part it works well. Equal to the material, Shalom Baby has drawn together a remarkably talented group of actors who take to their characters with real gusto - to pick out just two performances, Mandy Fenton lends a genuine warmth to the fantastic Jewish mother in both settings, and Nathan Clough carries off both the perfectly poised 'shabas goyim' (a gentile who takes over the household chores from a Jewish family on the Sabbath) Ike Essien and the energetic music promoter, Avery 'Slice' Price with equal conviction.

One of the latter scenes is set right at the height of the Holocaust which is a subject that can challenge the most capable playwright but, to his credit, while he's well known for his scenery-chewing material Beadle Blair can also shift gears and pen the most delicate dialogue when he has to and this is a very creditable example - ultimately this scene, set against a stark barbed wire background, provides the play's most poignant and moving moments. However, this is where Shalom Baby's one flaw appears - most writers would put down their pen at this point but here we get another lengthy scene that draws together the threads of the modern-day plot. To my mind this final scene lessens the impact of the previous one, and also helps to draw out the length of the play to a rather untidy two hours and fifteen minutes or so, not including the interval...

Would I recommend it? If you've been fed on a diet of West End musicals then its fair to say that Shalom Baby is not for you, but if you're prepared to have your assumptions challenged and to leave the theatre with a heavier heart than when you entered then I wholeheartedly encourage you to go along to see the play. You can get ticket information and performance times on the Theatre Royal Stratford East website here.