The Lonely Londoners review: An intimate portrayal of immigration that can’t be trumped

Posted on Jan 22, 2025 | By Sian McBride

This week, in his first act of his controversial second term, Donald Trump cut the CBP One app. One of the only positives to come out of 2020, the application was created to help migrants enter the U.S. and reduce illegal and life-threatening border crossings. All pending appointments made within the program have been canceled, and thousands are left lost, confused and sidelined.

70 years since its publication, Sam Selvon’s melodic prose couldn’t be more timely. Both cases highlight how bureaucratic obstacles can lead to the mistreatment and marginalisation of immigrant communities, underscoring the enduring need for accountability, transparency, and empathy in immigration systems.

Set seven decades before the current crisis, The Lonely Londoners follows Henry ‘Sir Galahad’ Oliver (Romario Simpson), as he navigates his new life in England. Hailing from Trinidad, Galahad was promised work and better pay from his “mother country,” however instead of entering a maternal embrace, he is quickly given the cold shoulder.

He soon encounters Moses (Solomon Israel), a reluctant guardian and guide for all displaced “JA” citizens. Much like his biblical namesake, he is a reluctant leader, but he shoulders the burden to ensure those that follow him walk the right path.

A poignant blend of hope and despair, director Ebenezer Bamgboye's adaptation is as fluid and ferocious as Selvon’s loosely structured novel. It’s never just one thing. Monologues are interspect with dance, with song, with harsh and violent light. You never know what is going to happen next. It perfectly captures the sensory experiences of its characters. Always second guessing what will come and what is expected of them.

The small space is expertly crafted into a sprawling metropolis by its creatives. Elliot Griggs's dynamic lighting design, featuring a stunning LED backdrop, displays London postcodes in distorted pixels. SE1 and N1C resemble impressionistic artwork - is that a 2 or a 3? It emphasises the immigrants' displacement. How do they know where they are if they are never given the right directions? Tony Gayle's evocative soundscape, which blends contemporary music with ambient city noises, immerses the audience into this claustrophobic city.

Designer Laura Ann Price’s use of blue trunks, the only pieces of ‘set’ on the pitch black stage, serve as a constant reminder of the characters' transience and the impermanence. Their background and baggage is visible to all, at all times. Their colour, different to its surroundings, means they will never blend in.

Williams's adaptation does not shy away from the complexities of the immigrant experience, addressing themes of racism, identity, and belonging without patronising its characters. A poignant reminder of the enduring struggles faced by immigrants in pursuit of a better life. Nothing can Trump it.

The Lonely Londoners runs at the Kiln Theatre until 22 February 2025.