Few novels have explored love, identity, and society with the candour and defiance of James Baldwin’s Giovanni’s Room. Published in 1956, Baldwin’s groundbreaking work broke taboos by centring queer desire and inner turmoil in an era of intense prejudice. It is a story of longing, fear and the courage to live authentically – universal themes that resonate fiercely today. Phoenix Dance Theatre’s Inside Giovanni’s Room brings this powerful narrative to life through contemporary dance, creating a bold and urgent conversation between past and present.
The narrative follows David (Teige Bisnought), a young American man living in 1950s Paris. Though engaged to Hella (Dorna Ashory), he finds himself falling for Giovanni (Dylan Springer), an Italian bartender. As their relationship unfolds within the confines of Giovanni’s room, David is forced to confront his fears, his desires and the societal expectations that threaten to suffocate them both. Torn between passion and conformity, love and guilt, David’s choices ultimately lead to betrayal and loss. The story unfolds as a series of memories, with David reflecting on the emotional wreckage left in the wake of his indecision.
Set designer Jacob Hughes presents Giovanni’s room as a stark, featureless cube – a space both intimate and confining, a symbol of love trapped by fear and societal expectation. Within this architectural metaphor, Marcus Jarrell Willis’ choreography – his first full-length narrative work as Artistic Director of Phoenix – sees David and Giovanni’s relationship unfold through movement that speaks volumes beyond words. David’s gestures are cautious and inward, revealing a man wrestling with desire and denial while Giovanni’s are more assured and expansive, embodying emotional openness. Their choreography as a duo – marked by hesitation, approach, and retreat – captures the fragile balance of longing and restraint, transforming the room into a crucible where freedom and fear collide.
Act One concludes with a visceral and extended sex scene – unflinching in its intimacy and unapologetically queer. For some audiences, it may be confronting. Yet its rawness is a necessary, powerful reminder of how queer sexuality remains underrepresented on stage. Had this been a heteronormative depiction, it would likely be dismissed as routine; here, it challenges audiences to confront often-ignored realities with honesty, demanding a reflection on the persistent invisibility of queer intimacy in mainstream performance.
Marc Strobel’s original score shifts between moments of near-perfection – blending seamlessly with the story and staging – and stretches where its intensity overwhelms the delicate physical storytelling. The music clearly aims to immerse the audience in David’s suffocating emotional turmoil, using discomfort to convey his inner struggle, yet this intensity becomes so oppressive that it distracts from rather than enhances. At its best – in the finale, where music, movement, and lighting unite – the score creates a rare moment of theatrical transcendence. This balance between immersive discomfort and overwhelming distraction makes the music one of the production’s most compelling and divisive elements.
Some choreographic motifs, though initially eloquent in capturing emotional states, verge on the expected. Phrases of repeated gestures or movement patterns occasionally risk reducing the complexity of Baldwin’s characters to predictable shorthand. The ensemble’s fierce commitment ensures the emotional tension never dissipates; their contortions, jerks, and silences continue to embody Baldwin’s psychological complexity. Bisnought’s portrayal of David is particularly affecting – his physical restraint carries a palpable weight – while Springer’s Giovanni brings warmth, fluidity, and an aching vulnerability. Dorna Ashory, in a smaller role, lends gravity to Hella, particularly in her haunting silent solo in Act Two.
Lighting designer Luke Haywood’s work masterfully carves memory and mood from shadow and spotlight. His use of blackouts within Giovanni’s room, highlighting moments frozen in time and then plunged into darkness, beautifully signifies the passage of days and the deepening of David and Giovanni’s relationship. This subtle choreography of light establishes a visual rhythm that mirrors the ebb and flow of movement.
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While some narrative nuance may elude those unfamiliar with Baldwin’s novel – programme notes are recommended to fully grasp the intricacies – the production’s emotional immediacy is undeniable. The physical storytelling, music, and lighting combine to express themes of love, identity, fear, and self-acceptance in ways that transcend language.
Inside Giovanni’s Room is more than dance; it is a vital conversation about freedom, prejudice, and the courage to live authentically. Its imperfections only deepen its humanity, echoing the messy, conflicted truths at the heart of Baldwin’s story.
Inside Giovanni’s Room, The Rep, Birmingham
Phoenix Dance Theatre
Artistic Director and Choreographer: Marcus Jarrell Willis
Composer: Marc Strobel
Dramaturgy: Tonderai Munyevu
Costume Design: Melissa Parry
Set Designer: Jacob Hughes
Lighting Designer: Luke Haywood
Cast: Dorna Ashory, Teige Bisnought, Aaron Chaplin, Phikolwethu Luke, Hannah McGlashon, Yasmina Patel, Tony Polo, Dylan Springer, Tishainy Constancia, Graciela Mariqueo-Smith, Maddie Irwin, Jess Yeo
Inside Giovanni’s Room was staged at The Rep, Birmingham, for one night only on Wednesday 28 May 2025.
The production plays Liverpool Playhouse, Liverpool on 5 June 2025 and Sadler’s Wells East, London from 11 June 2025.
