After Sunday
Bush Theatre, London
★★★★★

ARRIVING as it does from the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry amid a litany of racist headlines, prison scandals and the increasingly febrile atmosphere the far right have been stoking, After Sunday could not be a more timely debut from Sophia Griffin.

Visionary occupational therapist, Naomi (Aimee Powell), is the leader of a Caribbean cooking group in a medium-secure hospital. We never get to be in the presence of all four men who have signed up, as Vincent’s death looms large over the group that remain. The three who do, Ty (Corey Weekes), Leroy (David Webber) and Daniel (Darrel Bailey) find relief from their own demons in the Sunday sessions.

As the fried dumplings are kneaded and the hard dough bread baked, “core memories” of each individual come to a surface level simmer, allowing for both reflection and rage. Jokes rub up against the frayed family histories that are bubbling under until the tensions within the group reach an almost unbearable boiling point.

One scene, in which the boisterously vulnerable Ty recalls his 11th birthday, is one of the most raw pieces of storytelling you are ever likely to see. It is a stand-out moment in a quartet of performances in which the emotional connections between actor and character are palpable.

Credit for that must, in part, go to Griffin whose writing doesn’t attempt to overexplain. It leaves gaps of intrigue, and the whole experience is all the better for it.

Nicola’s circumstances are perhaps a little cloudy and could do with a little more meat on the bone, but as an NHS worker trying to balance “risk and data,” her character pays due homage to the immeasurable contribution that Caribbean women have made to the health service.

The eclectic, colourful flags of the post-colonial Caribbean hang over Clare Winfield’s clinical kitchen set, signalling resistance, but also the weight of history that the characters are still having to bear.

In a country spilling over with Jenrick-like jingoism, this deeply humane production with many of its roots in the Birmingham he recently scorned, is the ultimate antidote. A must-see production.

Runs until December 20. Tickets: bushtheatre.co.uk.