speaking of sneaking: upstaging a sequinned spider
22 Sep 2023

by Drew Rowsome - Photos by Jeremy Mimnagh

Seated and eagerly awaiting the beginning of speaking of sneaking, we watch as Anansi, mythological trickster in spider form, works polishing and drawing intricate web patterns on the floor. Above him soars glowing strands of plastic web that draw one's eyes to an alcove at the center. The heart of the web contains a golden eight-legged suit mounted on a pedestal. A costume dripping feathers and sequins. After a witty voiceover introduction, housekeeping instructions, and land acknowledgment, the lights dim and Anansi begins his narration. daniel jelani ellis (The First Stone, Box 4901, speaking of sneaking, The Circle) portrays Anansi as a twitchy, spasmodic creature who is trapped in a fatal attraction war between a god of the sky and a god of the earth. Anansi speaks with a thick Jamaican accent filled with colloquialisms which, while creating an admirable verisimilitude and atmosphere, often left this audience member confused. Leaning into the cadence and poetic rhythm helped, and because ellis is such an engaging performer, the prologue only slightly overstayed its welcome.

From there we meet several dramatis personae revolving around Ginnal, a wannabe trickster. There are a lot of characters and themes packed into sparse information or context and, again, because ellis is so charming and chameleonesque, we are drawn to Ginnal. Almost an hour in, ellis/Ginnal drops the personas and begins a monologue, a stand-up routine, in a bid to impress Anansi. The various narrative threads, or the majority of them, are pulled into place and a shaky but functional web is created. As ellis/Ginnal says, "This is a yardie show," and is not playing by standard theatrical rules or conventions. Sometimes this works beautifully: ellis conjures an understanding but gullible grandmother and a homophobic uncle with equivalent grace and no condescension, a gay nightclub is created out of a few hand gestures, a foot fetish cam job is hilarious. What doesn't work smoothly is how it all interconnects. The grandmother equates "batty boy" with "butterfly boy," the cam job is a commentary on Anansi and mythology, the gay nightclub is merely a plot device. 

What does cross the footlights is a concern with duality. Anansi exists as happily omnisexual while Ginnal struggles with what others think. He is also torn between his life in "Foreign" and a longing for his life in "Yardie." Alas, neither choice is given much dramatic weight or consequence, and even the events that do carry weight—an ex-lover returning, the grandmother's threatened demise, the uncle's threats—are skimmed over. What is given centerstage is Anansi's bargain with Ginnal, a metaphor for choices and the gravity of examining them before committing. But here a curious choice is made by ellis and director d'bi.young anitafrika: the glittery Anansi suit is donned (a process that further slows the momentum) and while Anansi faces the audience during the bargaining process, Ginnal only presents his back and emotes into the depths of the web. ellis has already demonstrated an uncanny ability to define multiple characters within a conversation simply using posture, physical inflections and his voice, his Anansi has been instantly identifiable by the splay of his feet and wrists. The suit becomes superfluous, a distraction, and metaphorically confusing.

That is not to say that the spider suit, lovingly designed by Rachel Forbes, is anything other than fabulous. It evokes carnival and Hammer horror in equal measure. ellis wears it with a swagger that gives Anansi a god-like presence, in much the same way that Ginnal tries on personas to get his way. There is also a simple but highly effective special effect cribbed from circus acts. Its first use is confusing but visually exciting, the second is ecstatic and thematically powerful, the final use, the law of diminishing returns, undercuts the finale, limping instead of soaring. Making speaking of sneaking feel as padded as it is thematically overstuffed but underdeveloped. While speaking of sneaking may not speak clearly, it is packed with wonderful moments and an extraordinary performance by ellis. He dances, jokes, transforms over and over, gamely straps on the spider legs time after time, and is speaking of sneaking's foremost special effect. With a central star turn so magnetic, it makes sense that the stakes are low. It is hard to imagine that either the rulers of Foreign or the moral arbitrators of Yardie could stand up to the force of nature that is daniel jelani ellis.