When was the last time you saw a musical commissioned by educational charity Show Racism The Red Card? For me it was just this week, over a century after the death of Walter Tull.
Our Little Hour is centred on Walter Tull and how he made history as both the first black footballer to play at the highest level of the domestic game in England and the first black man to be commissioned as an Officer in the British Army.
This production brings Walter to life in a compelling, high-energy and memorable performance that refuses to let his story fade back into history.
At Leeds Playhouse, Our Little Hour was performed on a sparse stage with a black curtains overhung with a greenish sepia-toned textile banner, depicting a graveyard and a clock striking 11 o’clock. This kept Armistice Day and the remembrance of fallen soldiers in the forefront of our minds throughout the show.
A cast of just three actors took on over twenty different roles to tell Walter’s story – from his father’s roots in Barbados to the role of the Methodist Church in his upbringing and the events and decisions that shaped his life.
Leon Newman‘s performance as Walter Tull was magnificent. Despite depicting a life of near constant challenges – where the toll of loss and trauma are recognised – he acted with initial great passion which gave way to stoic dignity across the length of the story – whilst retaining nods to the island culture to which he remained connected. Original songs, with strong use of piano accompaniment, recalled the influence of church on the life of the Tull family, and – alongside often upbeat choreography – helped maintain a well-paced narrative, despite drawing on heavy themes and tragic real-life events.
With minimal props and set design but working with a huge number of roles, supporting actors – Geebs Marie Williams and Neil Reidman – used movement and voice masterfully to shift from one character to the next. After the show, Geebs described how much she loved muli-roling, saying that it was “challenging but really, really fun,” and saying that she allowed each character to lead with their body, enabling her to inhabit a wide range of characters, including a football fan on the terraces and a commanding army officer.
Though some artistic licence is inevitable in reducing a life into fewer than two hours, it was clear that the cast and crew took seriously the responsibility of telling this story. Our Little Hour is not only a depiction of a life but also a story of Britishness and a perspective on our sometimes-hidden British History. Personally, it felt particularly appropriate to me that the show was brought to Leeds, where Roy Francis, the first Black British international rugby player and first Black British professional coach in any sport, had made his home.
The performance concluded with a call to action asking the audience to support the campaign for Walter Tull to be given a posthumous military cross (promised but never awarded).
Afterwards the audience was invited to something Show Racism The Red Card is better known for – a question and answer session with former Premier League footballer, Ken Moukou. Ken shared stories of his career and the racism he faced as a black footballer in Britain many decades after Walter’s death … but recognised the progress achieved by generations of footballers that followed Walter, including the change made in Ken’s lifetime.
This uplifting end to the evening reminded me of the power of the stories we tell beyond simply entertaining and the change that they can inspire.
Learn more about Our Little Hour here.
Learn more about Show Racism the Red Card here.
Learn more about the campaign here.
Photography by Matthew Thompson. Main image: Leon Newman as Walter Tull.
