Sisterhood and activism collide in new 70s musical

Top: Rochelle Rose, Veronica Carabai, Alexander Bellinfantie, Tomos Eames. Bottom: Gerel Falconer, Fahad Shaft, Chante Faucher, Alan Drake, Casey Bird.

Black Power Desk written by Urielle Klein-Mekongo in collaboration with Gerel Falconer. Directed by Gbolahan Obisesan. Musical Composition by Renell Shaw. At Warwick Arts Centre on Tuesday 14 October 2025 2.30pm and 7.30pm.

Review by Amanda Burden

This week my social media news feed has been dominated by wobbly red lines on the white stripes of a zebra crossing outside an Earlsdon school. It looks like a child’s artwork, but this makeshift St George’s cross has the power to shock and stir, conjuring uneasy echoes of jingoism and the notorious ‘hostile environment’ for immigrants devised by Theresa May. This is 21st century Coventry – but it could just as easily be 1970s London, the setting for new musical Black Power Desk.

Currently playing at Warwick Arts Centre, this bold new production by Brixwell House and PlayWell Productions takes us back to an era of social unrest, when the police’s covert surveillance operation ‘Black Power Desk’ aimed to discredit and dismantle the British Black Panthers. Against this sparking powder keg background, sisters Cece (Rochelle Rose) and Dina (Veronica Carabai) face their own fight to keep their relationship alive while negotiating the demands of a community in chaos. Their struggles show the odds are stacked against them - not just through instruments of the state but the gender stereotypes and patriarchy perpetrated within their own social structure.

Writer Urielle Klein-Mekongo’s plot is powerful and resonant, linking the personal grief of the sisters with the simmering political unrest outside their family circle. The funk, R and B and ska-inspired soundtrack perfectly encapsulated the spirit of the era, while the voices of all the cast are superb - vocal powerhouse Rose in particular blew the roof off with her heartfelt solos. Jessica Cabassa’s costume design is also an on-point smorgasbord of flares, ashkatran coats and porkpie hats, successfully transporting us back to the decade that style forgot.

If there is a weakness, it is in the depiction of corrupt coppers Officer Marks (Casey Bird) and Officer Pullen (Alan Drake). Their characters veer into two-dimensional caricature on occasion, leaving me wanting more focus on their backgrounds and motivations – and whether they learned anything from the operation. That said, this is no reflection on the actors’ acting and singing ability and this criticism is not enough to mar the enjoyment of the show. Overall, this production was an ideal balance between protest and emotion, reminding us that the struggles of the past still cast long shadows today.

Discover more at Warwick Arts Centre:  https://www.warwickartscentre.co.uk/whats-on/