Review: One Night In Miami…, Donmar Warehouse

“I’m way too pretty not to be in the movies”

Just a quickie for this, as it has now closed. Kemp Powers’ One Night In Miami… takes place on 25th February 1964 in the aftermath of Cassius Clay’s prize-winning fight with Sonny Liston. In a Floridian hotel room, he marks the occasion by hanging out with his friends Malcolm X, singer Sam Cooke and sports star Jim Brown as they reflect on the momentous point in the US civil rights movement that they variously find themselves involved in. And what could have been a dry debate is brought wonderfully to life by Powers’ script, Kwame Kwei-Armah’s direction and a great cast.

Sope Dirisu’s Clay is on the cusp of converting to Islam and changing his name but Dirisu finds the man behind the myth most delightfully, David Akala’s Brown is genially laidback, and Arinzé Kene sings wonderfully as Cooke whose integrationist views contrast strongly with Francois Battiste’s Malcolm X who is advocating a more militant course of action. There’s also Dwane Walcott and Josh Williams as the two wary guards from The Nation of Islam, adding tension and unpredictability, and altogether it proved a most fascinating and illuminating piece of drama. 

Running time: 90 minutes (without interval)
Photo: Johan Persson

Booking until 3rd December

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