Preview: Barber Shop Chronicles, Bristol Old Vic

One day. Six cities. A thousand stories.

Following two sell-out runs at the National Theatre and a world tour, Inua Ellams’ acclaimed Barber Shop Chronicles comes to Bristol Old Vic this May.

Newsroom, political platform, local hot spot, confession box, preacher-pulpit and football stadium. For generations, African men have gathered in barber shops to discuss the world. These are places where the banter can be barbed and the truth is always telling.

Directed by Olivier award-winning director Bijan Sheibani and designed by Rae Smith (War Horse), Barber Shop Chronicles is a heart-warming, hilarious and insightful new play that leaps from a barber shop in Peckham to Johannesburg, Harare, Kampala, Lagos and Accra over the course of a single day.

The cast of ‘Barber Shop Chronicles’. Pics: Mark Brenner

Elander Moore platys Ethan, a young man who undergoes a life-changing experience in the play’s last scene. Here he is to tell us more.

Tell us about your protagonist, Ethan.
Ethan only appears in the last scene of the play so it’s a bit of a wait for me, but it’s most definitely worth it. Without any spoilers, Ethan is a young actor who comes to the shop for a quick trim before a big audition – but leaves with a lot more than he bargained for.
What ensues is a fascinating and important conversation about what it means to be a young man of colour today, and how the term ‘strong black man’ can both empower and restrict us.

Elander Moore plays Ethan

Tell us how you came to be involved with the play.
I saw Barber Shop Chronicles at the National Theatre. I had just graduated from drama school and grabbed a solo ticket last minute. I knew straight away it was something I would die to be a part of.
I had never seen myself or my personal experience portrayed on stage or screen like that before – or seen such a diverse audience at the National!
Seeing so many black people of all ages in the theatre made me so happy. It’s something you don’t see enough of… So yeah, when the audition came around, I practically dived into the room.

How does the play work, structurally? What links the various scenes, or is it just that – a series of episodes?
The play is set in six different barber shops. The Three Kings shop, in London, is the main focus, and then the action crosses to different shops across Africa. It’s such an ensemble piece as there are no blackouts or elaborate set moves. The 12 of us change set and costume in scene changes, moving sofas and generators while singing, dancing and occasionally stumbling! It’s so much fun to do!

Why do you think barber shops – as opposed to, say, front rooms, shops, the back rooms of cafes and restaurants – have become such popular places to meet and talk?
Barber shops are such an important place for black men to inhabit. They’re not just popular places to meet: they are vital to our community. They are somewhere men feel they can open up, talk, share stories and debate, without feeling judged or pressured. There’s something about men going in to change their appearance and coming out having changed their minds that I’m fascinated by.

The play brings up a lot of conversations around men’s mental health and the role of the barber as counsellor. How has your work with Bijan, Inua and the cast addressed these topics?
I don’t think mental health in men, and especially in black men, is spoken about enough in our society. It’s still almost seen as a weakness if a man talks about depression or fear or anxiety. Inua’s writing does a lot to tackle this subject – in ways that make you buckle over laughing one minute and then shed a little tear the next. He’s one smart guy!

What do you think is the play’s power, its message? What would you hope to send audiences away thinking and feeling?
I think the play’s power comes from its ability to say “no matter your creed, race or culture: you are welcome.” As the audience enter, there is music playing, we’re pulling people up for haircuts (pretend, obviously) and chatting and dancing with them. I think that, right from the get-go, it’s saying ‘yes this is a “black story”, but our stories as humans are universal and we have so much more in common than that which divides us, so come and be a part of it’.

I hope we send people away feeling enlightened, whether that be about some African history they didn’t know, re- thinking their whole view on masculinity or just brightening their day.
As long as people feel something, I think we’ve all done our jobs. So come see us and have a dance, have a laugh and maybe get a shape up as well.

Barber Shop Chronicles is at Bristol Old Vic from May 2-18. For more info, visit bristololdvic.org.uk/whats-on/barber-shop-chronicles

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