I’ve still got the nostalgic tunes playing in my head and the defined characters’ vulnerability, authenticity and humour running through my mind. For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When The Hue Gets Too Heavy is a play that will stick with me forever, a genuine masterpiece. Before the show started, grime and rap music from British artists pumped up the crowd, unusual and innovative for these kinds of, often, elitist, West-End settings. The music created a buzz, and working-class activist artists like Stormzy sparked conversations around his sheer tenacity and skill, which set the tone for a high energy, witty and well paced show. It was refreshing to see black artists celebrated and diverse audiences welcomed.
Writer Ryan Calais Cameron’s piece is inspired by Ntozake Shange’s ‘For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf’, which I now have to read! Set in a group therapy session, For Black Boys moved seamlessly from dance, song, rap, physical theatre and comedy to tragedy in a way only great directing/writing from Ryan could allow. It’s rare to see a show that grips throughout. All the characters touched my heart with their vulnerability, and the performance from Tobi King Bakare, Shakeel Haakim, Albert Magashi, Rushand Chambers, Posi Morakinyo and Mohamed Bangura, was faultless. It was beautiful to watch the men console and embrace each other through their struggles, an example of tender masculinity rarely observed. The script was solid, interrogating stereotypes and covering debates with love, strength and understanding. The play’s more controversial language was realistic and not left unquestioned. The fact that the characters started as children brought home the fact that race and masculinity are learned concepts.
We came back from the interval with a bang and delved deeper into each of their personal experiences: black male queerness, sexual abuse, bullying, colourism, police run ins and using bravado as a coping mechanism. Each of their struggles taught them to feel trapped and undervalued, which they internalised, shedding light and empathy on the trauma that young black men face.
The piece asked so many important questions, like why are we purposefully NOT taught the empowering side of black history in school? When black boys are angered learning about the transatlantic slave trade, where do they go with that? What would happen if black boys were empowered by the history they were taught? The piece made a powerful shift towards love. How can you love others and yourself without a guide? How can you believe yourself loveable if you’ve only ever been seen through a limiting lense? The script was filled with beautiful poetry
“God said “love your enemy” and I obeyed him, and loved myself”
rich enough to make your hair stand on ends.
For Black Boys is a necessary affirmation that black lives matter. It was illuminating, joyous and deep, receiving a well deserved standing ovation at the Garrick Theatre. This is a play of resilience that I cannot stop thinking about. Its energy, empathy, creativity and strength is infectious. The fact that this show was brought from the fringe into the West-End is a testament to its message. To me, It’s clear, audiences need to see more.
Passion Inspires 