For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When The Hue Gets Too Heavy (Royal Court) London Reviews and Tickets
About the Show
Production Covid-19 Safety ProtocolsShow-Score Member Reviews (9)
See it if you want to see and hear men talking about life, their hopes and dreams and supporting each other. Great use of music and dance.
Don't see it if you find real emotions and situations being discussed uncomfortable or painful. It does end up with hope and is beautifully written.
See it if you want to see passion storytelling What you see on the outside isn't necessarily indicative of what's going on in the head or heart
Don't see it if the shows title isn’t your choice of preferred theatre.
See it if Amazing meditation on what it means to be black and male. A set of powerful experiences combined to really make you think.
Don't see it if If you need a defined storyline. It doesn’t really have a begining, middle and end. It just builds to crescendo.
See it if You enjoy meaningful stories. You want to laugh and cry (mostly). You enjoy music being incorporated in plays! You like modern plays .
Don't see it if You don't care about mental health. You can't handle themes such as abuse/suicide/death.
See it if You are aware or want to educate yourself on the challenges certain demographics in geographical locations face
Don't see it if You're easily triggered by violence and knife crime
See it if You grew up in London in the 90s/00s listening to R&B or if you would like an insight into Black British masculinity and culture. Powerful!
Don't see it if Genuinely can’t think of why this wouldn’t be an important show for anyone to see…
See it if You want an more nuanced view of young black males, their hopes, dreams, fears & what they go through on a daily basis internally and extern
Don't see it if Go see it& learn that there is more to black men then headlines portray
See it if You have a black son, black husband, father, friend, colleague, acquaintance or want to expand your knowledge. It’s a necessary see.
Don't see it if You’re happy staying ignorant
Critic Reviews (6)
Given the title there’s a surprising amount of joy in Ryan Calais Cameron’s play. It’s a mosaic of young British black men’s experience, often laugh-out-loud funny and physically exuberant, occasionally poetic, but with a recurring undertow of dread.
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...Cameron’s secret weapon – and that of his excellent cast – is humour. If ‘For Black Boys…’ can veer towards earnest cliché, there’s always a wickedly funny joke to undercut the seriousness, and Cameron has a wonderful ear for the merciless pisstaking patter of a group of lads.
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This tender, poignant and vitally populist show’s cumulative impact is potentially profound. It has the power to make you want to treat your fellow human beings, regardless of their skin tone, with greater kindness and respect.
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But the other thing about this production that has not changed is its intention. That affirmation is no less necessary than it was last year: Black boys, you are beautiful, you are valuable – and you matter. How wonderful that more people get to receive this message.
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Maybe because of being (presumably) written in lockdown, it’s bursting with energy. The individuals are excellent – Lawrence’s heartbreaking reveal of Midnight’s childhood trauma is a standout – but the collective is what’s powerful, here.
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Slowly but surely, society is waking up to the mental health and suicide crisis affecting young males. And as Ryan Calais Cameron's lively and meaningful new show makes clear, young black men are at particular risk due to the discrimination they face in a white-run society.
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