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The High Table
That's actually what me and Leah came here to talk to you about. Look- there's no easy way of saying this, but… Leah and I are getting married.
The dresses are chosen, the venue's been booked and the RSVPs are flooding in. But with her wedding to Leah drawing nearer, Tara's future is thrown into jeopardy when her Nigerian parents refuse to attend. This kind of love is unheard of, they say. It's not African.
High above London, suspended between the stars, three of Tara's ancestors are jolted from their eternal rest. Stubborn and opinionated, they keep watch as family secrets are spilled and the rift widens between Tara and her parents. Can these representatives of generations passed keep the family together? And will Tara's decision ever get their blessing?
An epic family drama played out between the heavens and earth, The High Table is the hilarious and heart-breaking debut play from Temi Wilkey.
The dresses are chosen, the venue's been booked and the RSVPs are flooding in. But with her wedding to Leah drawing nearer, Tara's future is thrown into jeopardy when her Nigerian parents refuse to attend. This kind of love is unheard of, they say. It's not African.
High above London, suspended between the stars, three of Tara's ancestors are jolted from their eternal rest. Stubborn and opinionated, they keep watch as family secrets are spilled and the rift widens between Tara and her parents. Can these representatives of generations passed keep the family together? And will Tara's decision ever get their blessing?
An epic family drama played out between the heavens and earth, The High Table is the hilarious and heart-breaking debut play from Temi Wilkey.
112 pages, Paperback
First published March 6, 2020
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46 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
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August 15, 2023‘I want to (…) ask you how it felt when you realised you were gay. I want to ask whether it felt like you were coming home to yourself. Or if it felt like a betrayal.’
almost started crying on an easyjet flight thanks a lot temi wilkey
almost started crying on an easyjet flight thanks a lot temi wilkey
September 2, 2023
This was so short but somehow crammed with heart-wrenchingly relatable but beautiful scenes and moments :)
July 24, 2025
sharp-witted play spanning generations of Nigerian coming-out stories, framing the relationship between Tara and her fiancée, Leah.
one of Tara's ancestors, Yetunde, while on the council of guidance, relates the tragic story of how she and "her shadow" were killed in their village after colonial british law and protestant missionary values criminalized homosexuality in nigerian communities. speaks to the desire to voice gaps in the archive of nigerian queer experience, without reducing them to simplistic or unified notions of queerness or blackness. the play is consistently mindful of the plurality of histories: queer now was not queer then; queer in britain is not queer in nigeria.
Tara's father visits his brother Teju in nigeria. Teju comes out to him and asks to seek refuge in london, his brother refuses, and ultimately, Teju takes his own life. Tara feels this loss doubly: because of her nigerian family’s silence around Teju’s sexuality, she has not only lost an uncle but also a gay elder and confidante.
"For the life I never had / But the life that could be"
there is some kitsch, but why shouldn't there be. is it so bad to want two black women to live happily ever after?
one of Tara's ancestors, Yetunde, while on the council of guidance, relates the tragic story of how she and "her shadow" were killed in their village after colonial british law and protestant missionary values criminalized homosexuality in nigerian communities. speaks to the desire to voice gaps in the archive of nigerian queer experience, without reducing them to simplistic or unified notions of queerness or blackness. the play is consistently mindful of the plurality of histories: queer now was not queer then; queer in britain is not queer in nigeria.
Tara's father visits his brother Teju in nigeria. Teju comes out to him and asks to seek refuge in london, his brother refuses, and ultimately, Teju takes his own life. Tara feels this loss doubly: because of her nigerian family’s silence around Teju’s sexuality, she has not only lost an uncle but also a gay elder and confidante.
"For the life I never had / But the life that could be"
there is some kitsch, but why shouldn't there be. is it so bad to want two black women to live happily ever after?
January 17, 2022
It was different then,
We were sacred then.
Back then, way back
Way back, way back then
Way back when I lived, I lived with
My shadow. (75)
Far and away one of my favourite plays I've read recently—The High Table explores cultural expectations of sexuality, now and in the past, through the lens of a woman seeking familial approval before she marries Leah, and through the lens of Tara's ancestors, who are trying to tune in to the situation and decide whether or not to give their blessing. It ends up being clever and lively, with dialogue that feels real—to say nothing of the relationships. I'd love to read (or see!) more from Wilkey.
We were sacred then.
Back then, way back
Way back, way back then
Way back when I lived, I lived with
My shadow. (75)
Far and away one of my favourite plays I've read recently—The High Table explores cultural expectations of sexuality, now and in the past, through the lens of a woman seeking familial approval before she marries Leah, and through the lens of Tara's ancestors, who are trying to tune in to the situation and decide whether or not to give their blessing. It ends up being clever and lively, with dialogue that feels real—to say nothing of the relationships. I'd love to read (or see!) more from Wilkey.
October 6, 2020
Beautifully written and beautifully performed.
February 20, 2021
A magical little play, perfectly balanced. A sterling debut that makes me want more.
March 12, 2023
LET'S GO LESBIANS
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews