Theatre Review - Wolves on Road
Kieran Taylor-Ford in Wolves on Road [Helen Murray]
IN Beru Tessema’s inter-generational drama, 21-year-old Manny (Kieran Taylor-Ford) dreams of making a fortune and moving to Canary Wharf. His Ethiopian-British mother, Fevan (Alma Eno), is a chef and saving to open her first restaurant.
When Wolves on Road opens, Manny is selling fake designer goods, living on Fevan’s sofa in Bow, and trying to avoid her new boyfriend, bus driver Markos (Ery Nzaramba).
Then Manny’s best friend Abdul (Hassan Najib) suggests investing in crypto-currency may be the answer to all his problems.
Manny is persuaded by the success of charismatic local entrepreneur, Devlin, played by Jamael Westman (Tom Moutchi takes on the cameo role from December 9). A former drug-dealer, Devlin helps market a digital platform, DGX Global, “the fastest growing crypto-currency exchange in the world”.
He extols the freedom of digital currency – how it cuts out the middleman and banks – and boasts that his platform is community-based and accessible to all. Hooked, Manny and Abdul swiftly sign up as marketing agents for Devlin, earning tokens for everyone they recruit.
Manny embraces his new project wholeheartedly, drawing his family into a get-rich-quick scheme that, of course, is too good to be true.
A subplot involving Markos’s unseen son, who is trapped in Libya after paying smugglers to get him to the UK, is intriguing but under-developed, while Fevan’s desire to open an Ethiopian restaurant becomes secondary to Manny’s aspirations.
Tessema becomes increasingly focused on Manny and Abdul’s friendship. Fortunately, the strong chemistry between Taylor-Ford and Najib keep us invested in their story.
A co-production with Tamasha, Daniel Bailey’s high-octane production delivers on several levels but the pace is uneven and the play loses momentum towards the end.
Until December 21