The Ashe Ensemble's musical Curfew confronts head on the crime, violence and temptation of easy money endemic in downtown Jamaica.
Gangster Satta (played by Curfew's writer Michael Holgate) rules the downtrodden Barracks community with a loaded gun, balancing nefarious activities with distributing free food among the poor.
Unemployed and frustrated, Gungo (Orlando Pinto) is a young man at the crossroads between good - helping musician Trevor (Othniel Nation) put on a peace concert - and evil (joining Satta). The struggle for Gungo's soul is the crux of this play.
Curfew takes to task the conspiracies of silence that allow violent crime to flourish; wider society for forgetting the poor and voiceless; and the gangsters' selfishness in their ruthless quest for money and power, not forgetting the women (mothers, sisters and lovers) complicit in violence through association.
Yet this production tackles these tricky, sensitive issues with the right balance of humour and seriousness: strong songs, slickly choreographed dancing, live musicians and plenty of fun moments provide light relief.
Although Curfew is set in Jamaica, its themes - lack of opportunity for young people, the lure of crime as an alternative and community breakdown - are poignant in Hackney and, for that matter, find resonance in any tough, inner-city neighbourhood on the planet, whether first, second or third world.
Curfew - A Reggae Musical
Hackney Empire
Mare Street, E8 1EJ
