Please Do Not Touch - a punchy and lyrical one-man-play - shows at Coventry’s Belgrade Theatre this month. The play is a new co-production between Belgrade Theatre and China Plate, told in a powerful and innovative solo performance from Tijan Sarr, and directed by Gail Babb.

Sarr plays Mason - a young man seeking to broadcast the colonial history of artefacts and wealth found in British museums and stately homes. To his online audience, Mason points out a Somali Afro comb, taken unwillingly from its owner to be displayed as a curio by someone who had no practical need for it - and eventually placed out of reach in a glass cabinet, with a sign reading ‘Please Do Not Touch’.

Mason becomes imprisoned in a Young Offender Institution, where he struggles to contain his rage at the injustice of the justice system. He takes solace in the institution’s library, where he reads, to escape his surroundings and broaden his mind, and writes - able to express himself, even behind bars. 

The play is written by Casey Bailey, expanded from a collection of poems published during his time as Birmingham Poet Laureate, in 2021. Bailey’s gift for the written - and spoken - word is evident throughout the play, and the moments when poetry comes to the foreground align with moments of freedom, joy and power in Mason’s story.

Sound and music accompanies Bailey’s words, designed by electronic musician Kayodeine. The soundscapes help to reinforce the setting, and music seems to fill every corner of the play. The set, designed by Miriam Nabarro, is deliberately pared-back, allowing space for Sarr’s stellar performance. In combination with Gillian Tan’s tight lighting design and the atmospheric music, the world of the play is skillfully brought to life. With a few simple changes, a claustrophobic, chaotic and lonely scene morphs into the safety of the warm and peaceful library.

Tijan Sarr’s performance is undoubtedly the star of the show. It is easy to forget that there is only one actor on stage, as Sarr seamlessly brings multiple characters into the story. At times he holds conversations with himself, occasionally throwing a knowing smile to the audience. Sarr plays out the moment that Mason is arrested with such sincerity, that it seems he is being wrestled to the floor by invisible hands - a real testament to Movement Director, Keiren Hamilton-Amos, and Gail Babb’s tightly plotted direction.

Please Do Not Touch offers a thought-provoking journey into a serious subject matter, with a skillful lightness of touch from Casey Bailey's writing, and charismatic storytelling from Tijan Sarr. 

Five Stars

Please Do Not Touch was reviewed by Jessica Clixby on Friday 13 September at Belgrade Theatre, Coventry, where it plays until Saturday 21 September.