If you’ve read the book, you won’t be disappointed. If you haven’t, you’ll be stunned. The Royal Shakespeare Company’s adaptation of the first in a trilogy of books by Malorie Blackman, offers everything you would hope for in the leap from book to stage… This is the story of two friends, one black, one white, who are torn apart by the prejudices of society.  In Blackman’s parallel world, the tables are turned as black people have absolute power and constantly discriminate against white people.  The racial divide is so prominent that they even have different names for each other: the superior black people are known as Crosses, while the inferior white people are called noughts.

Sephy, a privileged, upper-class Cross, is eager to help her lower-class nought friend Callum gain a place at her respected Cross school.  But they soon learn that for noughts, there is a big difference between being granted a place at Heathcroft School and being accepted by the Cross students there.  Even as Sephy takes a stand against the racism of her own class, Callum and his family are caught up in the bloodthirsty fight for equality that is taking place all around them.  As the teenagers grow older and become more aware of the unwritten laws of their separate worlds, their feelings for each other bring them closer than ever.  But society does not want Callum and Sephy to bridge the ravine between skin colours. Soon the flaws of humanity, their own confusion about their emotions and loyalties, along with the terrible inevitability of their circumstances, combine to bring about their undoing and the story gallops headfirst towards a truly breathtaking climax.
           
The RSC’s adaptation of Blackman’s bestseller is no less gripping than the book.  From the moment Sephy skips on stage in a bubble of childish naivety, the audience is hooked.  The overall grimness of the plot is skilfully interspersed with humour, such as the brilliantly portrayed awkwardness of Sephy and Callum’s first kiss.  Moments such as this lighten the mood immensely, without reducing the gravity of the play’s underlying message.  Similarly, any smirks at the apparent silliness of the scene changes – at points involving the entire cast running around in circles – are soon wiped off by the sudden seriousness of the situation.  These abrupt changes in the mood, and increasingly the plot, are just some of the reasons why it is impossible to tear your eyes away.

Other highlights include the moment when Callum and Sephy make love.  Instead of simply showing this or diminishing it to a single kiss, the leading actors stand at opposite ends of the bed and describe their thoughts and feelings.  This method, containing well-chosen sections from the book, is an incredibly effective way of showing the love between these two characters, even when they are surrounded by the fear and hatred of others.

In fact, the play’s only downfall is that it could, and should, be longer.  Despite exploring the highs and lows of Sephy and Callum’s teenage years in fantastic detail and with brilliant realism, the script begins to rush as soon as they become adults.  It could be argued that this is intended to add to the sense of panic created by their situation, but in reality it just makes certain moments seem less important than others, and we leave feeling as though we’ve missed something.  

Be warned, if you’re not familiar with Noughts and Crosses, it is not a cheerful story.  Nor is it fantastically upbeat and the violence of certain scenes makes it unsuitable for young children.  However, its anti-racism message and the frankness with which it is conveyed is sure to leave hearts pounding.  The Royal Shakespeare Company have adapted a truly magnificent book into a spectacular piece of theatre and Noughts and Crosses should be seen by everyone over the age of twelve.

By Jennifer Durrant

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