Buddies in Bad Time’s 45th season is off to an impressive start with daniel jelani ellis’ speaking of sneaking. This dynamic ninety minute solo show combines Jamaican mythology and folklore with modern characters. Produced in association with Obsidian Theatre Company and directed and dramaturged by d’bi.young anitafrika, speaking of sneaking is an enchanting tale woven with passion and purpose; trust me, you won’t want to miss this.

speaking of sneaking is a beautifully layered story. The frame narrative depicts Anansi, the Akan trickster god, weaving their web and a tale for Nana Earth and Nana Sky. They tell the story of Ginnal, a queer youth living in Yard who longs to go to Foreign, where their granny lives. A heartbroken Ginnal makes a deal with Anansi to take them to Foreign, but they forget that all magic comes with a price. At its heart, speaking of sneaking is a story about finding oneself and our constant search for belonging. This play is wonderfully unique, not only in its blend of music and text to create the story, but most particularly in how well it’s grounded in Jamaican culture. From the mythological beings to the Patois spoken from the very first moments to the code-switching we witness throughout, speaking of sneaking embodies this experience expertly and affectionately. Yet it’s not alienating by any stretch, allowing all audience members to be taken away by Anansi’s story.

The set for speaking of sneaking made me say “wow” out loud on my way into the theatre. Plastic wrap covers the room, strung from one place to another to resemble a giant spider’s web. In the middle is Anansi, their beautiful legs awaiting ellis to bring them to life. I loved that ellis is on stage from the very beginning, moving in these beautiful rhythmic patterns, beginning to weave the rest of Anansi’s web.

ellis’ performance is spellbinding from the moment you walk into the theatre until the lights go down. The amount of stamina it must take to perform this show is mind-blowing to me, and I certainly couldn’t blame them when they took out their hanky to cool off! Their physicality throughout the performance as they shift from character to character is astounding. Not to mention the acrobatics they’ve incorporated for this production, which truly takes the whole play to another level; again I found myself saying “wow” out loud. You can feel that ellis has put their whole being into this play, and it makes speaking of sneaking an absolute joy to watch.

Make sure you stick around for the Q&A session after each performance. I was very glad that I did as I was able to learn more about the collaborative process which brought speaking of sneaking to life, as well as some of the cultural influences which ellis draws on in this play. I think it’s a beautiful tradition to do one after each show.

You can’t miss speaking of sneaking: a magical, engrossing story that’ll get you all caught up in Anansi’s web. For more information and tickets, visit: https://buddiesinbadtimes.com/show/speaking-of-sneaking/

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daniel jelani ellis in speaking of sneaking. Set and costume design by Rachel Forbes, lighting design by André du Toit. Photo by Jeremy Mimnagh

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