The audience in Kiburn, London is welcomed to Queens, New York, by legendary DJ Mr Bugz (Richard Pepple) playing music, loud and proud from the balcony of a block of flats. Then, we head inside to meet Gerry (Jasper Britton) a gay musical theatre obsessive blasting the song ‘Getting to Know You’ from The King and I. In American writer Dan McCabe’s play, which premiered in Boston to rave reviews, the two opposing music forms become the beginning of a conversation about race, homosexuality, misogyny and cultural ownership. But, with so much unresolved discussion at its centre, I left somewhat unsatisfied.
The play mainly flows out through conversation on the doorsteps of their apartments. Bugz is joined by once big time rapper Lamont (Sule Rimi), who is a staunch defender of hip-hop’s Black origins. Gerry occasionally pops down, to give his piece on hating hip-hop too. All of them have fallen into financial difficulty. Lamont’s career is going nowhere. Bugz has taken some time off work to care for his mother with Alzheimer’s, while also secretly coming to terms with his sexuality. Ex-millionaire Gerry wasted away his fortune as he watched his friends die during the Aids crisis of the 1980s. Each in their own way longs for the better times of the past.
At its best, Amit Sharma’s production deftly magnifies a pocket of New York’s soul, complete with conflicting thoughts and lifestyles.On Tom Piper’s majestic scaffolding set, which allows us to peer right into both Gerry and Bugz’s homes and has coloured graffiti decorating its exterior walls, the action feels perfectly placed.
But though McCabe’s play is packed out with big questions and ideas, it has too much ground to cover and over time, loses the necessary sharpness of focus. Despite some strong performances from the whole cast - particularly Britton as the sarcastic, miserable Gerry, and Rimi as Lamont, the characters would benefit from some fine tuning. At times, they seem one dimensional; their backstories never really expanded on. There are mentions of Gerry’s old friends or Lamont’s successful classic songs, but they feel shoved into the action rather than planted neatly
In the second half Lamont is visited by Nancy, a white fan of his who works with Gerry. And with her entrance the battle over what rap and hip-hop should be really starts to properly kick into action. Is it overly sexualised and sexist? Can it be performed by white people? Does it need to be wholly truthful? - everyone has their own, varied thoughts. It’s a pity it took until near end of the play to hear them in full heat.
We’re left with more questions than answers, but perhaps that is McCabe’s point. With so many differing people and worldviews thrown in, this play has the potential to be a boiling pot. When the curtain comes down, we’re still waiting for it to overflow.
