 Seize The Day is the second of Kwame Kwei-Armah’s plays that the Tower Theatre has performed. At the first – Fix Up in 2018 – Kwame came along for a Q and A session during the run. He hadn’t long started as Artistic Director at the Young Vic then, and his talk that evening was a fascinating insight into his experience in theatre. Distilling down what he said, at the time, was an over-simplification of his trajectory, he talked about how parts for black actors were thin on the ground when he started his acting career, so he began to write plays to create more parts for black performers. And then he wanted to direct to ensure that the plays were done in the right way. But it’s not enough to have created those plays if they aren’t being scheduled, which is why he has become the person who leads on choosing the content for a major player in the London theatre scene.
 So, just over five years on, does it feel like there are more parts for black actors and more plays by black authors available to audiences? I don’t know. It feels like we have made some progress in this space at the Tower Theatre thanks to the Artistic Team’s commitment to greater diversity, there’s always more we can do, of course. However, it’s a major thrill to have Mya Onwugbono, who won the Best Director award at the 2023 Black British Theatre Awards, direct this piece.
 The play centres around Jeremy Charles, a charismatic TV celebrity whose popularity is enhanced when he's caught on camera slapping a knife-wielding black 17-year-old, Lavelle. Jeremy finds himself being groomed for public office by a manipulative faction. But the path to power is not smooth with Jeremy's idealistic determination to do something for under-achieving kids and his urge to mentor Lavelle being at odds with the causes with which Jeremy’s mentors want him to align. The play explores whether Jeremy will compromise his conscience to achieve power.
 There were some excellent performances from this hard-working cast. Liam Brown as the charming hero, Jeremy Charles was thoroughly likeable and engaging. Even though you knew he was cheating on his wife, you still wanted him to triumph and achieve everything he set out to do. Jake Bryan-Amaning as Howard Jones, was suitably slick and politically savvy – and his Joker-esque purple suit highlighted his flair (and also hinted at his untrustworthy nature). Omar Khan as Ravinder was excellent, as was Sherma Polidore-Perrins as Jennifer, both thoroughly believable in their commitment to their political ideals.
 Kasia Chodurek was convincing at Jeremy’s wife, Alice, conveying a strong sense of the sadness of their unhappy marriage with few words. Megan Madeleine-Freeman as Susan was a very good contrast as the cheerful – and ultimately triumphant - mistress Susan.
In a solid team of strong performers it’s hard (and perhaps wrong) to pick a favourite, but I am going to say that Temisanren Uwawah as Lavelle was terrific – showing frustration and anger but also brilliant flashes of humour, it was a nuanced and engaging performance. Emefa Owusu-Cole in a fleeting appearance as Lavelle’s mother was very good – and the interplay between her and Lavelle was nicely done.
 Costumes, by Roxanne Roberts, looked great – though Jeremy did seem to have quite a lot of speedy (and perhaps not always necessary?) quick changes which meant that he often appeared on stage tucking in his shirt or doing up his belt. Sound design (by Laurence Tuerk) was suitably atmospheric, helping to create the clear sense of time and place that underpinned the action and characterization. I didn’t love the set. I could see the intention, but some of the furniture seemed incongruous and the rather unfocused lighting meant that the different areas didn’t feel clearly delineated, resulting in a slightly messy playing area at times.
 Misgivings about the set and lighting did not spoil the enjoyment of the performances and the thought-provoking nature of the writing. There were a lot of issues explored, questions raised and plenty to think about in this play. And all the characters were interesting! I always like to feel that the characters have a life outside of the slice of their story that the audiences sees on stage – and I definitely got that sense. I am looking forward to seeing more from the several performers who made their Tower debuts in this excellent drama.
Photography by Rober Piwko
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