The reviews are in for The Brown Suite, the first full-length dance-theatre piece from Nahum McLean and Darius Drooh, the duo who work as BlacBrik, which had its world premiere at Richmond Theatre on 30 September before setting out on a UK tour. Told without a spoken word, it follows a group of friends through one night at a 1970s New York soul club, danced to the songs of James Brown, Sam Cooke and Etta James. The piece grew out of Death of the Bachelors, a shorter work first seen at Fundamentally Dance’s Ballet Nights. The critics are agreed on the music and on Joshie Harriette’s lighting; they divide sharply over the choreography and the storytelling, with North West End and Seeing Dance enthusiastic, and The Stage and Pink Prince Theatre finding the evening flat.
The verdict: ten reviews so far. Seven carry a rating: one five-star notice, two four-star, a three-and-a-half, a three and two two-star reviews, an average of 3.4 out of 5, while Seeing Dance, British Theatre Guide and the South London Press publish no score. Nearly every critic praises the soundtrack and Joshie Harriette’s lighting; where they part company is over whether the choreography and the slender plot can carry a full evening.
What are critics saying about THE BROWN SUITE?
North West End
Reviewer: Michelle Knight
Michelle Knight is the warmest of the critics, swept up from the first number by the energy and style of McLean and Drooh’s staging and by the way Harriette’s lighting throws images across the dancers.
"The dancers don’t simply perform the story; they embody it."
Her one caution is practical: with no dialogue, she suggests audiences who rely on spoken narrative read up on the piece before they go.
BroadwayWorld
Reviewer: Aliya Al-Hassan
Aliya Al-Hassan finds the choreography energetic and closely tuned to the rhythm of the music, if not especially original, and singles out Darius Drooh as a comic standout.
"Put simply, you could sit with your eyes closed and have a great night, such is the quality of the music selection"
She would rethink the pacing, arguing that the interval interrupts the flow and that the show would work better as one straight-through act.
LondonTheatre1
Reviewer: Sascha Cooper
Sascha Cooper thinks the storyline is stronger than a newcomer to dance might expect, and enjoys the chemistry between Lukas Hunt and Leila Wright as Marcus and Denise.
"What carries it is the passion for the music, the stories of the characters and the raw energy of each dance"
She notes a couple of subplots that do not quite land and some loose placement, and calls it one to watch as the tour goes on.
London Unattached
"James Brown’s Legendary Music Anchors New Dance Show The Brown Suite"
Reviewer: Teresa Guerreiro
Teresa Guerreiro admires the way the choreography mixes its many influences into something that feels fresh, and gives each dancer room to come across as an individual.
"even with the flimsiest of storylines The Brown Suite is an irresistible, atmospheric stage show"
Her reservation is the plot, which she feels is the one thing holding the show back from going further.
First Night Magazine
"Colourful dance montage is still a little green"
Reviewer: Guillermo Názara
Guillermo Názara sees a conceptually strong idea that plays it too safe, with a capable cast whose talent he feels is not fully used and a rushed ending.
"It follows the right path; it just doesn’t take all the right steps."
He rates the staging, with its glossy deck and fluorescent tubes, as the production’s strongest element.
Pink Prince Theatre
Reviewer: Neill Kovacic-Clarke
Neill Kovacic-Clarke is the most disappointed of the critics: he found the choreography bland, the transitions clunky and the story too thin, and suggests the piece needs a dramaturg.
"The dancers themselves were very good, and really did their best with the material they'd been given."
He keeps his praise for Harriette’s set and lighting and for Joshi Martina, whom he rates as the strongest performer.
Read Neill Kovacic-Clarke’s full review at Pink Prince Theatre
Seeing Dance
"Getting to the soul of it"
Reviewer: Nicola Claire
Nicola Claire answers the question of whether the short Death of the Bachelors could grow into a full-length work with an emphatic yes, and praises a company who dance with character, humour and real storytelling.
"It’s marvellously entertaining from start to finish, and a production that leaves me very much looking forward to whatever BlacBrik does next."
Like BroadwayWorld, she regrets the interval, but credits the company with winning the audience straight back afterwards.
British Theatre Guide
Reviewer: Vera Liber
Vera Liber, who had seen the earlier extract at Ballet Nights, writes with obvious delight about the music, the dynamite cast and lighting that spills out over the ornate auditorium.
"It’s impossible not to be infected by this St Vitus’s dance"
Her only worry is stamina: she finds the two halves over too soon and hopes the company can keep the drive going across a long tour.
South London Press
"The hot new thing in dance"
Reviewer: Melina Block
Melina Block praises the dancers’ clean technique and the range of styles, from classical ballet to funk and jazz, and compares the piece to Christopher Bruce’s Rooster.
"If you have been looking for the hot new thing in dance, this just might be it."
She reads the evening as an ode to human connection in the days before social media, and expects BlacBrik to command more attention soon.
Production photographs by Deborah Jaffe.
Also reviewed by: The Stage (Siobhan Murphy, two stars, “Super-funky James Brown soundtrack powers an otherwise lacklustre piece”), whose review sits behind a registration wall.
For more from the critics, read our roundups of HAM at Soho Theatre and What the Animals Say at the Finborough Theatre. The tour reaches London again next spring at the Hackney Empire.
The Brown Suite played Richmond Theatre from 30 September to 3 October 2026 and is now on a UK tour until 20 November 2026, with a return to London at the Hackney Empire on 19-22 May 2027.
