Review: Fragments of a Complicated Mind
Fragments of a Complicated Mind is complicated - some would say disturbing. But it is also an exciting, emotional rollercoaster ride that you don’t want to get off of. It is an unapologetic play which confronts the complexities of a 21st Century black woman and as a result we are taken on a journey that is honest, dynamic and thought provoking.
The stage is set with four chairs in the semi-lit room, in hindsight this was the calm before the storm. The lights become full beam and we are in the midst of three couples competing against each other in a game show, with an over enthusiastic host. For a second I’m confused, then it hits me - we are literally watching the fragments of a complicated mind. And as our mind switches from one thought to another, without any clear or logical connection, the play follows suit. Taking us from one thought process to the next; highlighting intersectional representations, stereotypes and urban myths of the black female. From the black female features (full lips and full glutes) appropriated by reality TV stars, such as the Kardashians to the beauty and intimacy shared between a black man and a black woman.
The play showcases how the mainstream appropriates black culture, to even go as far as to take credit for creating some of the aspects. People want to look black, act black, have little brown babies, but that is where it ends.
Fragments of a Complicated Mind is fun and there’s a sense of comradeship between the actors and audience. As the male characters grab their crotches and the females simulate masturbation, the voyeur can’t help but gasp at the outright audacity of these staged actions. it’s a bold and raw and uncomfortable, but like any voyeur you can’t stop watching.
The play includes a small but mighty cast of performers who are phenomenal Effie Ansah, Lily-Fleur Bradbury, Michelle D'Costa, Jasmeen James, Antonia Layiwola, Luke Wilson, Luke Elliot and of course, Damilola DK Fashola. They scream, dance, cry, shake and laugh, literally in that order. Continually taking us into the various fragments of the black female mind.
Damilola DK Fashola is an artist and writer disrupting the conventional depictions of the black woman and by doing so humanises them. The play also reinforces what the black community has always known but is rarely showcased, in the words of Damilola DK Fashola ‘everyone wants to be black, but no one wants to be black’ .
Praise to Fragments of a complicated mind, we stan with you.
