The Royal Shakespeare Company this month premieres Driftwood - the debut playwriting credit for actress Martina Laird. Set in Trinidad and Tobago in 1956, the play explores the intergenerational hope and hopelessness of a nation squirming under colonial rule, and looking forward to the country’s eventual independence in 1962. 

The play takes place in a single room -  the confines of ALMA, a gentleman’s club in downtown Port of Spain. The establishment is maintained by Pearl (Ellen Thomas) - whose body is breaking under the strain - but owned by Mansion (Roger Ringrose). The young and beautiful Ruby (Cat White) has been a fixture in the club all her life, and entertains patrons, seemingly lighthearted, but with an urgent wish for agency and freedom beneath the surface.

Ruby is also a low-stakes grifter, skimming extra cash from tourists with the help of police officer Seldom (Shane David Joseph). So far, their lives have a natural (if discontented) rhythm, but change is on the horizon.

Mansion plans to return to England, and he refuses to pin down who will be responsible for ALMA and his other premises when he has left. Both Pearl and Ruby vie for his favour, betraying different strains of desperation. Ringrose as Mansion is infuriatingly unbothered - he enjoys the women’s attention, but is clearly indifferent to their appeals. 

Into this strolls Diamond, played by Martins Imhangbe - tall, striking and assured in the small room. He quickly attaches himself to Ruby’s grifts, but has his eyes on a larger prize, which he intends to achieve with the assistance of corrupt US marine, Tom (Ziggy Heath). The small but universally impressive cast are expert storytellers - there is a whole subtextual narrative of desire, frustration and pain that runs beneath the play’s spoken word.

One of the major triumphs of the production is the set, designed by Sadeysa Greenaway-Bailey. The confines of ALMA are brought to life in a deceptively complex way - the room simultaneously feels like an island far away from trouble, and a rapidly deteriorating dive bar. Simon Spencer’s lighting interacts with the room’s many shutters and windows, to produce a tangible atmosphere, which is enhanced by the company. 

The result is a remarkable production - you could hear a pin drop as the tension rose toward the play’s conclusion. Between the intimate set and the domestic scenes, it was as though the audience were invited to watch the drama unfold through one of ALMA’s windows - in turns tense, funny, heartbreaking and thoroughly immersive.