The Instrumentals review

Introducing children to death and grief is a sensitive subject, and often a learning experience for adults too. Writer and director Mia Jerome’s piece approaches the topic in a gentle and uplifting manner and is rooted in African-Caribbean culture, in which the marking of death is blended with a celebration of life. The show is aimed at the broad age range of four to 11-year-olds, but the tone and approach feel best suited to younger audiences within that bracket.

Belle’s beloved Grandpa has died, and it feels as if things will never be “normal" again. At the wake, the adults want Belle to sing, but she isn’t sure she can do it on her own – it’s something she and Grandpa always did together. Taking refuge in a dusty basement evoked by a doorway arch of boxes, she meets the chatty and mischievous Mike the Mic, who introduces her to the (talking) instruments used by The Instrumentals, Grandpa and Grandma’s band back in the 1970s.

Among these are jazzy Jacques the Sax, and the wise and motherly synthesiser Cynthia. The highlight of Oliver Hymans’ puppetry design is Kit and Cyril, the drum and cymbals, who provide much of the humour with their constant bickering, but who grudgingly accept that it’s better when they work together. The puppet representing a young Grandma is beautiful and glamorous but lacks expression. Grandpa and Grandma’s love story is touchingly represented by images on record sleeves – it’s always strange to think that one’s grandparents were once young and trendy.

Maya Manuel and Elliot Liburd make a likeable pair as Belle and everyone else respectively. The versatile Liburd in particular displays a laidback rapport with the audience, encouraging audience participation in the form of a short beatboxing lesson and seated disco-dance moves. The music by Cal-I Jonel communicates how melancholy and joy can be closely intertwined, and Joshie Harriette’s groovy lighting transforms the stage into a disco of delight.

The positivity is commendable, but there is some glibness in the execution. Jerome addresses a child’s confusion around the often-euphemistic language of death, and Belle is encouraged to let her feelings out, but she’s also told that “Grandpa wouldn’t want you to be sad”, which isn’t the most helpful message in the early stages of grief. She’s also encouraged to take comfort from the nebulous platitude that Grandpa is now “in a better place”. Still, seeing young audience members dancing in the aisles is heartening, and the play makes an accessible entry point to a difficult topic.