UK Theatre Network

The Akingbola brothers are a force to be reckoned with.

The eldest, Sola, is head percussionist of the British jazz funk band Jamiroquai, writes songs and is lead vocalist of the funky roots band Critical Mass.

Then comes Jimmy, an award-winning actor whose electrifying performances as one of Holby City’s latest major characters is rapidly making him a household name.

And now there’s young Segun, who recently graduated from The Academy of Live and Recorded Arts and is already making a name for himself as a playwright and actor.

Segun’s first ever play, The Patient, premiered at London’s Soho Theatre, thanks to brother Jimmy who, with fellow thespian Fraser Ayres and Jason Angol, run Triforce Promotions which, with the motto ‘We Exist to Serve’, showcases both established and burgeoning actors and writers, gives people in the business the chance to network through social events - and is now into producing plays.

But those who packed out the theatre for its one-off performance, will verify that The Patient did not have anything to do with nepotism, just sheer talent.

OK, Jimmy directed the mostly solo show, starring Segun himself in the title role, so he was in good hands, even though it was Jimmy’s directorial debut. But from the moment we walked into the auditorium to find The Patient standing alone, slouched, drooling and eyes rolling in an almost vegetative state, we knew we were in at the start of something special.

And what was to follow was to chill us to the bone and break our hearts in equal measure as the story of the psychiatric patient unravelled a harrowing history, which I won’t divulge here so as not to spoil it for those who of you who have yet to see it.

The only other person on stage was Luke Burton though, as the doctor, only his silhouette was seen. This was enough to add to the chill factor, however, especially when we saw him breaking down because of The Patient’s shocking tale.

This play does not consist of gratuitous horror as in films we love to scare us. It delves into a sick man’s mind and its maturity from one so young makes it worthy of our continued attention.