“It’s biting out, bruv!”: Thawing Out w/‘Red Pitch’ by Tyrell Williams
a critique by Korinn Annette Jefferies (korinnannette.com)
I wanted to see Red Pitch by Tyrell Williams at Burning Coal Theatre Company because I saw a soccer ball and Black people. honestly. that was enough for me to buy a ticket. though it is common to see Black children playing soccer in other countries, in the U.S. a Black child will often be the only Black child on an entire team and sometimes within a league. I played soccer from age 3 to 13, only stopping because I’d torn my ACL twice on the field. and I tore it again last year— at 29, for the fourth time— playing soccer.
perhaps that’s why I cried so much during this production… but also, maybe… it was just that good.
directed by Avis Hatcher-Puzzo, Red Pitch follows three teen boys in the UK as they navigate the gentrification of their neighborhood and cling to the only constants in their lives— soccer and each other. there was incredible chemistry between the cast which featured a range of ages from recent UNCG grad Jaden Rogers (Bilal) to sixteen year old Quinn Gray (Joey).
the boys deal with gentrification in their own ways: Bilal copes with gentrification by tuning it out and Joey just accepts it. Omz, portrayed by Jireh Ijeoma, is initially hopeful about gentrification expecting the changes to benefit “ends” and his family, almost as if anything could be better than his current circumstances. Ijeoma’s portrayal of Omz was heartbreaking and inspiring. his character undergoes the most growth, as feelings of envy and sadness attempt to sever his relationships with Bilal and Joey. Ijeoma’s performance demonstrated a unique ability to convey these complex emotions and still draw empathy from the audience. Bilal’s character is perhaps the most physical both in an athletic and comedic sense. Rogers is an incredible physical actor, keeping up with the rigor of being an athlete as well as the casual use of physicality to tell jokes and clown the other characters. Joey is the constant of the group and brings an innocence that acts like glue to keep the trio together. casting Gray as Joey was a brilliant choice, as Joey is the only character I’d argue needed to be true to age. Gray’s performance captured Joey’s innocence and youth in a way that I don’t think an older actor could.
the set is stationary and resembles an athletic cage that is most commonly seen for basketball or tennis (or pickleball) in the U.S.. the play is performed in a thrust, and the actors often kick the ball against the upstage wall and sides of the cage. the theatre is intimate, and there are two levels of seating on the ground and as well as a shallow balcony. I enjoyed the vantage point from the balcony, as it allowed me to clearly see the lighting effects and stencils used to convey trees, emotion and the passage of time. the lighting was generally warm with lots of reds and oranges, but shifted to green each time the boys entered a dream sequence about their success. throughout the play, there is the sound of construction work being done, audibly demonstrating how gentrification is encroaching on their lives. there were a few times between scenes where you could also hear protestors chanting, but it kind of took me out of the world of the play because the British accent was not audible.
while I was generally impressed with the consistency of accents by the entire cast, there seemed to be some issues with pacing as conversation at the beginning of the play was hard to understand. though it was resolved as the play continued, the resolution extended the runtime taking the show from 85 minutes to a full two hours with no intermission. again, I enjoyed the show so it didn’t really bother me, but there were quite a few good stopping points where an intermission could have taken place. I think it makes sense to extend the official run time and have the intermission so that the actors can take their time and the audience can actually understand what they’re saying.
I’d love to know more about the geography and gentrification of the areas referenced in the play, as well as the ethnic origin of each character. they all say “wah gwan?” to greet each other so my initial thought was that everyone is Jamaican— and naturally that brought me to a whole other string of questions about how their ethnic origins may impact the way they view the game. I was also curious about how their religion impacted the way they interpreted hard work and dedication as Bilal and Omz are Muslim and Joey is Christian.
I noticed the piece did not have a dramaturg (sigh) but what a dream it would have been to have that role! everyone will see the light eventually but for now, “it’s calm.”