‘You do not know me yet but I am the heroine of this drama. I am told that here I must give a taste of what is to unfold. I am to convey that this tale is set in Jamaica during the last turbulent days of slavery and the early years of freedom.
‘I am to say that it is a true and thrilling journey through that unsettled time.
‘Cha, I say, what fuss-fuss. Come, let them just see it for themselves.’
The Long Song is adapted from Andrea Levy’s award-winning novel by Suhayla El-Bushra. It premiered at Chichester Festival Theatre in October 2021, directed by Charlotte Gwinner.
‘[An] unblinking portrait of dignity amid moral horror… Suhayla El-Bushra’s adaptation is a model of economy and fidelity… vivid and disturbing’
— Guardian
‘Scenes of rare power’
— The Times
‘Bold, brilliant… phenomenal… Wherever it goes next, it’s imperative it has a further life’
— Telegraph
‘An excellent adaptation… a brilliant interpretation of the story that had the audience gripped and engrossed from beginning to end. The applause, cheers and standing ovation said it all’
— British Theatre Guide
