Stage Review Small Island
- debra Hall
- Apr 3
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 24
Small Island
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Written by Andrea Levy
Adapted for stage by Helen Edmundson
Directed by Matthew Xia
Overview
Small Island plots around distinctive characters whose stories overlap. In rural Jamaica, the young Hortense is a teaching assistant, she's free spirited and independent and she lives in a place where the crisis of war is a faraway cry. World War is impacting however, because the young men of the island are leaving in their droves for military service abroad.
Gilbert is one of those men. He finds himself RAF stationed in a small village in England. He's not flying planes, but he is experiencing ignorance and racial prejudice from the Lincolnshire villagers and from the American servicemen based there.
On the other side of the fence there's Queenie from the North of England, who takes up her aunt's offer of employment in her London sweet shop. Queenie marries Bernard Blyth and moves in with him and his father, Arthur a mentally damaged WWI veteran. Bernard is a discompassionate man, unbending and harbours racist views, Queenie is his opposite in every regard. Bernard goes off to war and she is left to look after the house and Arthur who tends to wander.
After the war London is a city on its knees and a long way from island life of the Caribbean, but there's much talk of rebuilding, investment and opportunity there. Back home Gilbert and Hortense marry for convenience as part of a chasing dreams ideal. Gilbert travels over to Britain on the Empire Windrush and seeks Queenie who he met during the war. He becomes a paying boarder in her house. It's 1948, Bernard is still missing from the home, so Queenie, now alone and concealing a pregnancy, is making the best of things as a white landlady with black tenants.
Hortense travels over to England at a later date and joins Gilbert, who continues to receive racial abuse while going about his day as a postman. The intelligent and proud, Hortense is misunderstood by the well meaning Queenie who is not the brightest and when she pursues a teaching post she is told her qualifications are not recognised.
Through the process of getting to know these key characters, a wider picture begins to form.
Comment
The injustices for Commonwealth citizens who arrived in Britain, mid-century, was exposed in 2018 and caused a political stir.
Way before...and acknowledging it being only a part of a rising storm, the late author, Andrea Levy's novel Small Island (2004) uniquely contributed to educating readers about members of the Commonwealth; Jamaican men mostly (many whom had served Britain during WWII) - returning to Britain the Mother Country in early peacetime looking for a new life for them and for their families.
An autobiographical topic for Levy whose father was one of those people who took the leap. She was able to explore the social realism based on his first-hand experiences and of her own, growing up in London at a time it was rapidly diversifying.
A BBC TV drama was produced (2009); but the fact Small Island has come to stage now, is so important and its relevance in today's world and its timing punctuates a global trend that is fixating on issues around immigration and race relations that are being used as an excuse for stirring up hatred and waging wars.
Adaptor Helen Edmundson's playwriting and Matthew Xia direction means the big topics of race; mass migration; identity and ethnicity that Levy explored in her novel are not lost here. Also the character and individualistic elements are told with great heart and humour despite the underlying, darker content and the inclusion of language of a racist kind.
Reviewer could go on to praise this production in lengthy paragraphs and laden the review with superlative comments, but in an effort not to cheapen it by doing so, simply awards this production five of the shiniest stars and send it on its way to enjoy the success it deserves.
Stage Review Small Island by Theatre Critic, Debra Hall who attended the press night performance of Small Island a Birmingham Repertory Theatre (the Rep) on Thursday 02 April at 7.00pm
References
The Rep Your Invitation to the Press Performance of Small Island (06 March 2026)
Collins, A. Your Confirmation to the press performance of Small Island, Thu 2 Apr 7pm (19 March 2026)
the Rep Small Island printed programme (April 2026)
Andrea Levy https://andrealevy.co.uk/author
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