HeLa

Three Weeks / Eleanor Lang


A show comprising pertinent scientific, history told very successfully from a personal perspective. In an anatomy theatre Adura Onashile led us through the story of the cancer cells, biopsied from Henrietta Lacks, from when they were taken without consent, through all the medical breakthroughs they have helped fuel, and ending in the present moment where the entire genome of the HeLa cell has been published. There was little physical theatre that seemed to add much, but Adura acted all the characters exceptionally well, and importantly, discussed the shocking history of medical experiments on American people of colour. For well written, original and thought provoking theatre, this is a must see.