Theatre review: The Secret Life of Bees

Composer Duncan Sheik has developed quite the relationship with the Almeida, what with the premiere of American Psycho and the recent reimagining of Spring Awakening. It's the latter whose musical style immediately comes to mind as his latest show, written with Lynn Nottage (book) and Susan Birkenhead (lyrics) opens. This distinctive musical signature remains throughout, but with the addition of bluegrass, gospel and rock'n'roll flavours in keeping with the time and place of The Secret Life of Bees: In 1964 South Carolina, teenage Lily (Eleanor Worthington-Cox) feels ostracised by the rest of her town, because for reasons she doesn't like to discuss they blame her for the death of her mother, despite the fact that she was a small child at the time. So she's grateful for her family's maid Rosaleen (Abiona Omonua,) who's become her best friend.

There's a big national drive for black people to vote, but also a lot of pushback from violent bigots when they actually try to register - as Rosaleen discovers first-hand, leaving her badly injured. Fearing for her life she flees town, and Lily joins her to get away from her increasingly abusive father T-Ray (Mark Meadows.)

One of the few mementoes Lily has of her mother is a postcard with a picture of a Black Madonna, and she has a feeling this will lead them to safety; this proves true, as it's the logo of a small honey-manufacturing company, run by the formidable August (Rachel John) with her sisters, the nervy May (Danielle Fiamanya) and stern June (Ava Brennan.) The two young women stay there, working in return for food and board, and when Lily is put on beekeeping duty she meets Zachary (Noah Thomas.) News reports that the actor Jack Palance might be visiting the state with his black girlfriend plant the idea that the story could get an interracial romance of its own, but Lily and Zachary may not realise quite how dangerous that could be.

Whitney White's atmospheric production serves the story well, and balances the variations in tone: At heart an optimistic and heartfelt story, its concerns with the struggles of black Americans in the 1960s (with scenes that mirror more recent events as well) are never far from the surface and dealt with sensitively. But there's also room for lighter moments, like the ongoing saga of June's aggressive brand of playing hard to get when her long-standing suitor Neil (Tarinn Callender) visits to propose for the 24th time.

It's not without flaws: May's main character trait of being thrown into a state of nervous collapse at virtually everything anyone says tends towards bathos, and the presentation of the women's connection to Our Lady of Chains is a bit heavy-handed, meaning the show sometimes feels like it's suddenly lurched into a story about a cult. More disappointingly in a story with the Civil Rights movement at its core and so many potentially interesting black characters, is the way it increasingly falls into the trope of those characters mainly existing to help a white person find their way.

But the songs are the stars here and it's hard to see how they could be better served than by the extraordinary collection of singing voices assembled here. Really running the gamut from the catchy to the funny to the fiercely emotional, they make sure any problematic parts of the story become minor background irritants. Vanessa was alternating between bouncing along happily to the tunes, and grabbing my arm in fear of what would happen next. It definitely feels like another one to seek out the cast recording for, as well as an evening that, in its sometimes slow and thoughtful way, really plays on the emotions.

The Secret Life of Bees by Lynn Nottage, Duncan Sheik and Susan Birkenhead, based on the novel by Sue Monk Kidd, is booking until the 27th of May at the Almeida Theatre.

Running time: 2 hours 40 minutes including interval.

Photo credit: Marc Brenner.