Three Ghosts of Silvertown - the 7th Newham Play
- Russell
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
⭐⭐⭐
Staged within the historic Tate Institute, just yards from where some of the events that inspired it took place, James Kenworth’s Three Ghosts of Silvertown certainly has ambition. Combining drama, music, movement and local history, it sets out to connect Silvertown’s industrial past with the community of today. Unfortunately, the history proves considerably more compelling than the drama.
At times, the production feels less like a play and more like sitting through a musical, drama-based history lesson. There is undoubtedly a wealth of fascinating material here, particularly surrounding the 1889 Silvertown Strike and Eleanor Marx, but so much information is packed into the evening that character and narrative frequently take second place. Consequently, there are surprisingly very few moments of genuine dramatic tension.
The production largely follows its history chronologically, although there are occasional shifts backwards and forwards in time. More noticeable is the frequent movement between periods in performance style and language. Period Cockney and RP accents can suddenly give way to distinctly modern street vernacular, presumably as a deliberate attempt to connect Silvertown’s past with its present. While the intention is clear, the contrast doesn’t always sit comfortably and can occasionally jar, momentarily pulling the audience out of the world the production has created. That attempted connection between past and present also feels somewhat incomplete. Contemporary language, music and movement feature extensively, yet some of the less comfortable realities affecting communities in modern East London, including crime, are largely absent. Given the production’s interest in present-day inequality and deprivation, this feels like a missed opportunity.
Where Three Ghosts of Silvertown really comes alive is through its community cast. The young local performers bring tremendous energy, enthusiasm and commitment, and their involvement is arguably one of the production’s greatest strengths. The Tate Institute itself also provides an atmospheric and entirely appropriate setting, lending the history an immediacy that a conventional theatre could never replicate.
There is clearly enormous passion and research behind Three Ghosts of Silvertown, and its commitment to celebrating local history and involving the community is admirable. As an introduction to an important chapter of East London’s past, it has considerable merit. As a compelling piece of drama, however, it never really manages to turn that fascinating history into equally engaging theatre.
Staged site specific in Tate Institute, Wythes Rd, London E16 2DN
(nearest tube City Airport)
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