Sheer Drop Theatre has found a natural and flamboyant wordsmith in writer Jon Cooper. As a playwright, he positively luxuriates in language and he is a rare breed, equally comfortable writing poetry and rap as dialogue.
Cooper's new play contains two characters – a middle-aged performance poet and a young rapper – who allow Cooper to express himself freely. There's no denying the fierce sway of his poetry, but the surrounding play feels less assured.
The convenient plot twists chip away at the production's authenticity and the sentimental conclusion feels forced. The melancholic music and soft lighting, from director Samantha German, also feel a touch indulgent.
Still, if you can stomach the schmaltz, there's much to enjoy. Cooper hits a purple patch midway through, when poet Cassandra and rapper Jasmin (Tia Bannon) take shedloads of drugs and get high on language. Bannon is a firecracker of a performer and her final speech, as she elegantly rages about London's 'cannibal children', is powerful and substantial stuff.
It plays in a double bill with Charlotte Coates's debut play 'The Death of Norman Tortilla', about an old man who has never been kissed.