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Thought provoking, essential viewing.Summary
Rating
Unmissable!
This is the story of a man under pressure. His fiancée wants the perfect ‘Insta wedding’, his line manager wants him to interview for senior leadership, a record label wants him to fit into a box they have labelled ‘a mix of Central Cee and Craig David’ and his father in law, well he is constantly harassing him for the wedding dowry to buy a cow for their family in Nigeria, all whilst calling him the wrong name and demanding to know why he hasn’t yet been promoted. Sounds like a pressure cooker? It is. However, despite the serious themes of this play, there is also lightness, humour and joy brought to the stage by it’s incredibly talented writer, composer and performer Cal-I Jonel.
Jonel plays Keloughn Douglas, a British-Caribbean music teacher balancing many conflicting priorities whilst also trying to maintain, and at times, find, a sense of self. Set in the intimate venue of the Studio at the Broadway Theatre in Catford, this piece of confessional ‘gig-theatre’ is a captivating 70 minutes of music, spoken word, rap, acting and a master class in multi-rolling. It is easy to forget that Jonel is playing several different characters as he seamlessly switches between them, his voice and physicality changing instantly to create characters such as the head teacher, work nemesis Becky, and the students in his classes. The final scene in which Jonel takes on the characters of Keloughn, his line manager Cliff and the head teacher is breathtaking, and beautifully aided by the wonderful lighting design of Joshie Harriette.
The play addresses the microaggressions that Keloughn faces as a black educator, as well as the emotional toll of code switching around his colleagues, caring for his students and living up to familial expectations. The people around Keloughn choose to not see or hear him as his real self, instead wanting to mould him to fit their needs.
The show features an outrageously talented live band (Hannah Ledwidge on drum kit and Terry Smiles on bass guitar and keys) who collaborate with Jonel in his performance. There are several original songs in this piece, one of which Cheesecake and Wine is available on music streaming platforms now and is well worth a listen. This song sums up the balance of humour and weight of the play and brings to the audience a universal analogy of experiencing life by enjoying the starter and main first and not just skipping to the dessert.
There are some points in which the band overpower the vocals, making it difficult to hear the vocals but generally the balance is good. The stage design, set up as if it were a living room, fits the performance well but it is the lighting design that really stands out.
The play ends with a question in song form: ‘Where do we go from here?’. It is a question not just for Keloughn but for society in general and it certainly stirs up discussion for the audience as they leave the theatre. This is a fantastic show and absolutely essential viewing. If you can’t catch it in Catford, I would thoroughly recommend trying to get a ticket for the regional tour. I have no doubt that this show has a life beyond this current tour, and I look forward to seeing it again when it inevitably comes back to London.
Written and composed by: Cal-I Jonel
Directed by: TD Moyo
Consultant Composer: Rennell Shaw
Musical Direction and co-composed by: Hannah Ledwidge
Lighting Design by: Joshie Harriette
Set and Costume Design by: Caitlin Mawhinney
Movement Direction by: Mateus Daniel
Sound Design by: Khalid Madovi
Produced by: Sarah Verghese for Nouveau Riche
No More Mr Nice Guy plays at Broadway Theatre Catford until 16 March, further information and bookings available here. The show then tours until 6 April to Manchester, Birmingham and Bristol.
