Chanel Waddock and Noah Valentine in Noughts & Crosses [Manuel Harlan]

MALORIE Blackman’s acclaimed 2001 young adult novel, Noughts & Crosses, is a dystopian tale with echoes of Romeo and Juliet.

Childhood friends Callum (Noah Valentine making an impressive professional stage debut) and Sephy (Corinna Brown) meet in secret by a secluded beach. Sephy is the daughter of a politician (Habib Nasib Nader) and Callum’s mother (Kate Kordel) used to be their family’s housekeeper.

The teenagers live in a sharply divided world. White people, like Callum, are Noughts, treated with barely concealed contempt by the ruling black population, known as Crosses.

Through this clever inversion, Blackman explores racism, terrorism and prejudice, challenging prevailing social inequalities.

When Callum wins a scholarship to Sephy’s prestigious Cross school, she hopes it will bring them closer. But he faces hostility from his classmates and Sephy’s attempt to befriend the Noughts is met with violence.

As both their home situations deteriorate, their forbidden love story becomes increasingly fraught. Callum’s family has a history of resistance. His brother Jude (an excellent Alec Boaden) is a member of the Liberation Militia, an underground rebel group.

After the suicide of his sister Lynette (Chanel Waddock), Callum saves Sephy from a shopping mall bombing, but is persuaded to join the militia with tragic consequences for their relationship.

Dominic Cooke’s faithful adaptation prioritises Blackman’s central themes, while Tinuke Craig’s bold production leaves little room for nuance – a combination that sometimes leaves the actors grappling with one-dimensional characters.

Although integral to the story, the graphic aftermath of the bomb attack and the visceral representation of an execution make for uncomfortable viewing, particularly given the 20th anniversary of 7/7.

Still, Blackman’s story strikes a powerful chord. The cast’s energy is infectious and Colin Richmond’s school-prison set, together with Joshua Pharo’s atmospheric lighting, adds to the overall sense of menace.

Suitable for ages 14+.

Until July 26
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