‘In England I’m black. In Africa I’m white. It’s a funny, bloody world.’
Amid the detritus of her birthday party, Ma Joyce chats (and sometimes sings) to us about her upbringing as mixed race in Liverpool.
We learn of her Nigerian and Irish heritage, growing up in a strict Welsh convent and the socioeconomic situation in 60s Liverpool; hearing how she had to sing incredibly racist songs at Catholic school was shocking, as were the ‘jokes’ in the playground. Because of the prevalence of social segregation, Joyce would dance at the Nigerian Club where she met her husband; her impressions of him really raised a chuckle!
Joyce is frank and opinionated about her trials and tribulations, but always points out some attitudes were very ‘of their time’ and things have moved on for the better. She’s not keen on Jamaicans for instance, but mainly because the boy dating her daughter smoked weed in her house; modern attitudes are compared to the gallant behaviour of young folk decades ago, such as her late husband. Her son still repeating n-word jokes from school shows we still have a long way to go on the respect stakes, unfortunately.
Her return to live in Africa for a period was fascinating, with a whole new set of assumptions, prejudices and customs to deal with. Anyone who crosses Ma Joyce will definitely regret it, however; you can take the lass out of Liverpool…
With Ma Joyce, Victoria Evaristo brings warmth, wit and humour to a deeply personal tale that’s still relevant today.
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Ma Joyce’s Tales From The Parlour is at Hill Street Theatre from 22-24 Aug.