The Authenticator Review: A Sherlockian Thriller Tackles Slavery's Toxic Legacies
In a surprising twist on classic detective duos, Winsome Pinnock's The Authenticator at London's Dorfman Theatre infuses comedy into a profound exploration of enslavement legacies and erased Black histories. This disarming yet ebullient drama follows two Black academics tasked with authenticating 18th-century diaries written by an enslaver, creating a narrative that balances humour with heavy historical reckoning.
A Holmes and Watson Dynamic with Racial Complexity
The play centers on Abi (Rakie Ayola) and Marva (Cherrelle Skeete), whose tutor-pupil relationship cleverly mirrors Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. Through their dynamic, Pinnock deftly examines intersections of class and race. Abi represents privilege as an Oxford-educated academic of Nigerian descent, whose family history holds complicit connections to the slave trade. Marva serves as her bright working-class mentee, with a mysterious grandfather whose disappearance intertwines with the Harford family legacy.
Fen (Sylvestra Le Touzel), a direct descendant of enslaver Henry Harford, discovers diaries documenting life on his Jamaican farm operated by enslaved people. She enlists Abi and Marva to authenticate these records, initially presenting Harford as a potential abolitionist. However, their investigation uncovers disturbing evidence of his brutality, challenging Fen's narrative of mitigation.
Comedy Meets Haunted House Drama
Despite the weighty subject matter, Pinnock masterfully employs humour and satire throughout the production. The play sends up haunted house conventions through Jon Bausor's witty traverse set design, featuring empty gilt-edged picture frames and trapdoors revealing cellar secrets. Atmospheric elements like dimmed candlelight, torch illumination, and nervy string music (violin, viola, cello) add playful winks to the ghostly ambiance.
Much of the comedy revolves around Fen, a tweedy do-gooder who presents herself as eager to atone for her family's sins but frequently excuses herself from responsibility. Her character embodies aristocratic contradictions, including a past as a cockney punk at Oxford, reenacted during a drunken scene. Through Fen, Pinnock satirizes aristocrats who monetize their heritage, with references to grime artists filming by fountains and fabricated ghost stories for tourist tours.
Uncovering Real Hauntings and Historical Violence
Beneath the humour lie profound hauntings. The play references a "Blackamoor statue" hidden away following debates about colonial heritage and British statues post-George Floyd's murder. Another haunting emerges through missing diary pages suggesting violence against an enslaved woman named "Black Sarah." Director Miranda Cromwell skillfully navigates these tonal shifts, allowing humour to recede when confronting historical trauma.
The performances by Ayola, Skeete, and Le Touzel brim with verve, eliciting laughter while conveying their characters' guilt, shame, and buried pain. Though some plot connections feel conveniently engineered—reminiscent of Agatha Christie's mechanical setups—the production's cleverly barbed dialogue and zestful execution forgive these contrivances.
A Light Touch on Heavy Questions
The Authenticator courses along with remarkable lightness, disarming audiences while serving crucial contemporary questions about investigating histories, facing toxic legacies, and pursuing atonement or apology. Pinnock transforms soiled inheritance, unrecorded Black histories, and racial appropriation into an engaging theatrical experience that entertains as it educates.
This production demonstrates how theatre can tackle difficult subjects without sacrificing accessibility or enjoyment, making it a standout addition to the National Theatre's repertoire. The Authenticator runs at the Dorfman Theatre, National Theatre, London, until 9 May, offering audiences a thought-provoking blend of mystery, comedy, and historical reckoning.
