Review: Beige, Riverside Studios (and Camden Fringe)

Jessica Nlabu and Shannon Kurlander in Beige at Riverside Studios. Photo: Rebecca Tozzoli Clozza Beige is a powerful play but not an easy one to describe. Joy (Jessica Nlabu) is instructed in how to be and behave. Initially, it feels like an audition or interview conducted by a sharp-suited, stiletto-wearing Shannon Kurlander. But as the play progresses, Kurlander starts to feel more like the personified voice of a general ‘society’ or a toxic mentor. She imposes societal expectations on Joy, testing her ability to conform and asking her to behave in a way that feels ‘safe’ and ‘comfortable’ to the majority. The audition/tasks take in the physical, emotional and cultural. The aim is to strip away anything that doesn’t toe a particular line. Being ‘beige’ or neutral is perceived as good because Joy can then be moulded to society’s whims. It makes her Instagrammable. But the play exposes the absurdity and destructive nature of such pressure and trying to conform through its…