SOLD – a Powerful and Provocative indictment of Slavery

Posted on 1st May 2023

Amanda Edmund’s dramatization of the life story of Mary Prince is an astonishing and powerful mix of song, dance, drum rhythms and riveting narrative from Kuumba Nia Arts. Based on Prince’s biography, a best-selling treatise on the brutality of the slavery she was born into, SOLD has been performed to countless audiences over the last four years, with the show at the Corn Hall marking the end of the current tour.

Central to the success of the play was an outstanding performance from Lola May, who brought to life the tortured mind and body of Mary Prince with an authenticity that was, at times, difficult to take. May’s performance was brilliantly counterpointed by the percussive interjection of Angie Amra Anderson, adding texture and depth to an already rich text. As the play charts the sale and resale of Prince, it is the clarity of May’s words – faithfully transcribed – that allowed the audience to accept the reality of horrors that would be otherwise be barely credible.  The sadistic reality of slavery has been repeatedly reinforced through film, television and in print but there is something uniquely powerful about anguish portrayed through live theatre. As May throws herself on the floor, with real tears streaming down her face in remembrance of the abuse suffered by Mary Prince, we get as close as a cosseted audience can to feeling some semblance of what she must have suffered.

A lively and informative Q&A session after the performance ably reinforced the company’s stated aim is to raise awareness of slavery, both past and present, but it would be doing Kuumba Nia Arts a disservice to set aside the artistry and theatrical skills used in service to that aim. In short, this strikingly original production was one of most moving and affecting plays seen at the Corn Hall for a very long time.