KARACHI: It is never easy for a single performer to hold theatre-goers’ attention for more than an hour and tell a story that ebbs and flows flashing shades of sadness, forlornness and occasional fun. The performance that Inua Ellams of Fuel Theatre gave on Wednesday evening in the show titled ‘Black T-Shirt Collection’ was an engaging one.

While he did manage to nicely convey some of the pressing issues touched upon in the play, penned by Ellams himself and directed by Thierry Lawson, there were a few things in terms of execution that left a little bit to be desired.

‘Black T-Shirt Collection’ is essentially about two foster brothers, Matthew and Mohammed. The country: Nigeria. When Matthew was very young, he was adopted by a Muslim family.

They take care of him and help him have a decent life. As the two brothers grow up, their bond strengthens. Mohammed, being the biological son of his parents, considers it his duty to protect Matthew. He helps him on occasions, such as one when some boys try to bully Matthew. With the passage of time, the brothers discover their individual talents as well. They grow up, establish a T-shirt business and do well for themselves.

But things change drastically as one of the brothers faces personal problems. The issue of sexuality is raised and he is hounded by a journalist. It creates difficulties for him. The situation makes the two decide to leave the country and land in far-off places. First they reach Egypt, after that in London and then in China, discovering many things along the way.

‘Black T-Shirt Collection’ is a story that is as contemporary as it gets. It would have been difficult to write it in, let’s say, the former half of the 20th century. The issues highlighted by the writer/presenter are readily identifiable. Sectarian strife, economic struggle, expatriation and sexuality are matters that have troubled artists in recent times.

On the whole, Inua Ellams was impressive. But the technical difficulty with a serious solo act is that it demands a lot out of the artist in order for him not to lose the tempo or momentum for 60-plus minutes. One felt that the script required a bit of trimming and if it could have been turned, not reduced, into a 45 or 50-minute performance, it would have had more power because the verbal monotony proved a little jarring on certain occasions despite the screen in the background that he used to indicate the shift in locations.

Still, Ellams performance in the climatic moments of the script made up for a lot of things. It was poignant and moving. Like a screenplay writer, he told the audience how a heated argument between the two brothers led the situation to an irreversible end.

‘Black T-Shirt Collection’ was part of the National Academy of Performing Arts ongoing theatre festival.