Uplifting and bold, Tones is one-man’s lyrical life story growing up in the ends, exploring black identity in a UK culture obsessed with class and race.
One-man’s lyrical life story growing up in the ends
Actor, writer and so-called rapaturg Gerel Falconer achieves no mean feat, spitting the lyrics of his life story for a solid hour, pausing only for the odd beat change. Falconer’s bars blend hip-hop, grime and drill to allow for introspection without being sentimental, using humour to reel us in and tragedy to upend our expectations.
The room is stifling hot and Falconer is dressed as Jerome in a heavy black hoodie with golden Phantom-style mask to hide half his face. Nevertheless, he raps unfazed, injecting energy and passion into his storytelling, with impressive comic timing and cadence throughout.
Lyricism bounces around the room as Jerome navigates his childhood path to self-discovery. We hang on every word as he tells of growing up in Halston, Hackney with his wealthy white friends and commanding Uncle who serves as his mentor. We see our character question the stereotypes put upon himself and his friends and family, feeling shame in his attempts to assimilate and confusion at being ‘too white’ for his black friends and ‘too black’ for everyone else.
Though Tones is a play about one man’s struggle, it stands for the bigger problem of social disenfranchisement for black British youth, a problem which Falconer and London’s Wound Up Theatre highlight through their work.
Wound Up Theatre has another play at the Fringe, The Death of Molly Miller, which similarly takes on challenging subject matter through comedic theatre.
