The Bite Magazine - Autumn/Winter 2025 - Issue 38

biteperformance Image provided by Zakariye G iven the billing for this production and title, I was ex- pecting an urban, gritty play, but experienced so much more and left with so much food for thought, whilst also shedding a tear from laughing so much. Thus, I am in- spired to share my experience with you, lovely readers. The Roundhouse, a performing arts and concert venue at the Grade II-listed former railway engine shed in Chalk Farm, London, is somewhere I’ve visited a handful of times and have always left artistically satisfied by their offerings. So, it was no wonder that I came away from the Cages performance written by Zakariye, a 27-year-old of Somali heritage from Birmingham who describes himself as a poet, performer, and filmmaker. I felt both entertained and inspired to reflect. The play took place in Roundhouse’s more intimate space, where the stage is set beyond and below the bleachers, and the stage walls are raw brick, giving the setting a befitting industrial feel. The only prop of a green, steel park bench was a clever con- stant to the entire performance, even for indoor scenes. And the stark setting reflected the cast of only two. Even before the play opens, as we take our seats and get set- tled, two secondary school uniformed boys mime-banter whilst kicking a football back and forth. Their unheard razz is so pas- sionate in action that I want to be privy to what they’re say- ing. I do, after all, love a good drama. I don’t have to wait long, as the play opens with Osman, aka Uzzy (Jermone Scott), and Jazz (Dwayne Kayin) arguing over a stolen one-pound coin. It sounds petty, but a pound is a lot of money to a school kid! Jazz is convinced Uzzy stole it, but Uzzy protests, then quietly confesses to the audience that he did, reasoning that Jazz needs to be reproved now and then. Their two distinct characters are delightful to watch, the boastful, cheeky and loud Jazz juxtapos- ing against Uzzy’s reserved, geeky and meek personality. How- ever, his brazen theft of the pound has me wary of this silent slayer. A neighbourhood ‘older’ comes to warn them of a conflict hap- pening the next day and, for their safety, to avoid coming to the ‘cages’, the playground set behind wire fences where they are currently playing. Despite the warning, they find themselves at the scene the next day and witness Roland (Dwayne) getting attacked en masse. Uzzy intervenes, enabling the attackers to disperse. This action test loyalties as Jazz is horrified to find a knife gifted to Uzzy, leading them on a comical yet critical jour- ney of evasions and mishaps as they try to get rid of it from Uzzy’s hidden schoolbag. Intertwined in this story is Dwayne’s costume change into Uzzy’s overtly strict Dad. One couldn’t help but inwardly laugh as that character became relatable; we all know someone or someone’s dad like that! He also plays a goofy, pastoral teacher who, ironically, lectures on the dangers of weapons. Both char- acters were executed amazingly. What I love about this part of the play is when Uzzy becomes the narrator, placing the urgen- cy of the situation at a critical point in our minds through tone and action. Safely on the bus home from depositing the weapon at a knife-drop point, Uzzy returns the stolen pound coin. We, the audience, can’t help but laugh, as we sigh in relief that their plight comes to a safe and satisfactory end. The stage goes dark as both characters change costumes, whilst an urban song plays. The bench is repositioned, and the next scene isn’t of the previous one, but another slice of Cages’ story. Cages Lisa Ogun’ attended Roundhouse to watch Zakariye’s play, Cages, performed as part of the 2025 Roundhouse Studio Theatre Season and left impressed by the actors’ multi-character roles and the stories depicted. T heatre R eview