Ironically the show that Rehana and I were seeing tonight was called “Been So Long”. Ironic mainly since its been a while since I’ve seen Rehana.

I love shows at the Young Vic. Yes they tend to be a little less polished than the bigger and main stream than the productions at West End but the intimacy you get at the venue makes up for it. The set was actually quite large though not in the round like the production I last watched at the Young Vic. We arrived at 7.15 and even with the show starting at 7.30 we still got decent seats. I’m sure there’s not a bad seat in the house as the rows go back only about 6 or 7.

Been So Long is the musical version of Che Walker’s poem about love and well, to be frank, s3x. We open to a bar which is soon to be closing and a young man, Gil, rapping about murder ladies’ man Raymond for stealing his girlfriend. Cut to the next scene where Simone and Yvonne are on a girls’ night out when Raymond comes into the bar. Simone is the more quiet and retiring of the two whereas Yvonne is the ballsy one whose loud manner leaves no room for misinterpretation. Though she makes a play for Raymond, he ends up falling for Simone who can’t help herself falling too even if she knows better. Meanwhile in the background tying everyone together is the barman who is madly in love with Simone. Love is never easy.

The production was slow at times but also inspiring at other times. Also, I totally agree with Rehana that some parts were a bit rough and ready but it was difficult to know if it was meant to be that way or not. There are definitely some outrageous moments in the show with plenty of the f-word and other s3x-type words being thrown around. Clearly its meant to grab the audiences attention but, due to how blatantly outrageous some monologues were, were also hilariously funny. Behind the speaking parts we also have the music. The main reason I came to see this production was promise of r&B music. All performers were excellent with a decent soundtrack overall. The individual performers were also supported by a 3-woman “choir” who were pretty good.

Overall I enjoyed myself tonight even if I couldn’t relate so much to the particular aspects of the story-line like the hinted at former abusive relationship that Simone had endured, unlike the woman next to us who could really relate if her constant shouts of “oh yes” were anything to go by. The crowd appreciated the performance as well with quite a long ovation at the end.