Lennie James and Paapa Essiedu in A Number
(Picture: Manuel Harlan)Paapa Essiedu gives a tour de force performance – well, three to be exact – in Caryl Churchill’s short, sharp exploration of nature versus nurture, and the relationship between fathers and sons. The star of I May Destroy You here plays a young man who discovers he’s a clone, the furious ‘original’ whose DNA was sampled, and one of a number of previously unsuspected ‘illegal copies’.
He’s subtly, devastatingly different in speech, stance and attitude as each character comes to comprehend the actions of the shifty, older Salter, played by The Walking Dead’s Lennie James - his first major UK stage role in almost two decades. Two international renowned screen actors, back in their original live element, in an invitingly thoughtful work that barely lasts an hour. What’s not to like?
