Description
Book Synopsis• To coincide with a national tour by Black Theatre Live productions • Rarely heard story of a South London Black teen carer With grime music and Guyanese folk stories, Joseph Barnes-Phillip's semi-autobiographical story is a comic, tragic and honest portrayal of becoming a man. The story follows Rayleigh as he negotiates the tensions of growing up and taking responsibility − to his pregnant girlfriend, to his sick mother, to his church, to the multi-cultural community he grew up in and somewhere in the mix to himself. When the euphoric highs of teenage life in south London collide with his mum's terminal illness, all Rayleigh wants to do it watch anime in his pants and eat indomie. Love, life and masculinity meet head-on as Rayleigh tries to find his feet, torn between the new girl in his life and being there for his mum, while trying not to make the same mistakes as his dad. The show has been created by HighRise Theatre to be the sixth touring production for consortium Black Theatre Live. Performed by the author Joseph Barnes-Phillips. • Can be performed as a monologue in schools, colleges, etc.
Trade ReviewWe all contain multitudes, but Raleigh is many people in one. Joseph Barnes-Phillips' semi-autobiographical solo show conveys the multiplicity contained within black masculinity. It's not just that his protagonist's Guyanan heritage criss-crosses with his British identity – a mix that manifests itself in tastes stretching from pigs' tails to black pudding. It's that he's a different man in very different circumstances. He tends to boss it "on the block" with his best mates, giving it all this macho chatter and laying down grime rhymes, but the moment he's back with the dying mother he affectionately nicknames Moon Gazer, he's all ps and qs and sweetness and light. Butter wouldn't melt in this boy's mouth. It's all change again with his girlfriend, Spice Girl, as the lover in him lets loose with a mix of playful patter and flirtatious gentlemanliness. A lot of Big Foot's comedy is wrapped up in the pretence, as Raleigh gets his roles mixed up and indulges in puff-chested posturing. He swings, rather sweetly, from laying down grime beats to bouncing along to bubblegum pop. WHAT'S ON STAGE
Table of ContentsBiography company and cast details Playtext
