Samuel Takes A Break …In Male Dungeon No. 5 After A Long But Generally Successful Day Of Tours

I love London’s ability to transform any location into a place to eat, mingle, and entertain. Before watching Rhianna Ilube’s debut play, ‘Samuel Takes A Break …In Male Dungeon No. 5 After A Long But Generally Successful Day Of Tours’, I had never heard of the Yard Theatre, a tiny and popular spot just a stone’s throw from Hackney Wick station.

I also almost missed attending the play with two looming deadlines and was slightly stressed when I got the invite. But I love to support debut work. So, I set out in rain-soaked, moody British weather and arrived early enough for food and a drink.

I had not even had time to google the play and decided it was better to watch it without looking at reviews or knowing what it was about. Well, it was a great debut!

Samuel Takes a Break… is set in Ghana in 2019, the Year of Return, in the historic Elmina Castle. This is where enslaved people were held in captivity before being taken on a journey of no return on boats bound for the Caribbean islands or other white nations. 

It is the story of Samuel, played by Fode Simbo, a Ghanaian tour guide for the castle who does as many as ten daily tours, welcoming visitors of all types and hues. Tourists visit the castle for different reasons; some try to feel the spirit of their ancestors, and others enjoy the thrill of visiting Ghana’s attractions and having a great time, including taking selfies in the castle.

Samuel seems to have seen it all. Through his grinding work to provide an authentic experience for the tourists, he becomes disillusioned when he realises that most visitors need help understanding the significance of what took place in the castle. 

We are gradually drawn into the play as his story unfolds through his effervescent work colleague, Orange. The ticket booth seller, whose ambition is to become a tour guide, does not understand Samuel’s anguish at her and the visitor’s lack of understanding of the castle’s painful past.

I enjoyed the layered story of the past and Samuel’s own, especially as we begin to learn that spiritual experiences haunt him. We are curious to know if this is his imagination or whether they are real. 

I began to read stories on slavery as a teenager back in Nigeria. I remembered the feelings of anger and impotence at the idea of the sufferings that the enslaved people endured at the hands of their masters.

Rhianna brings a fresh perspective with humour that does not temper the seriousness of the message. We laughed out loud and journeyed with Samuel as he tried to face his own issues. I look forward to more plays by this brilliant playwright, shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Playwriting and Soho Theatre’s Verity Bargate Award.

I also loved my chat with actor Colin Salmon who plays George Knight, the current landlord of the Queen Vic in the TV series EastEnders, who came to watch the play. I have not watched EastEnders for many years, but George is a fixture in the British acting world, so it was fab to take a quick selfie. Thanks, Colin!

Samuel Takes a Break – 9th February – 23rd March 2024