For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy – Garrick Theatre, London

Ryan Calais Cameron’s hit play For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy makes a triumphant return to the West End with an all new cast.

Content Warning: includes discussion of suicidal thoughts, violence, and trauma.

For Black Boys…

Thank goodness for second chances.  Or fourth chances, as is the case here.  Because after runs at New Diorama, the Royal Court and the Apollo Theatre, Ryan Calais Cameron’s For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy has made a transfer to the West End for the second time.  The Garrick Theatre specifically.  And so it’s here, with a new cast and with Cameron taking over from Tristan Fynn-Aiduenu as director, that I finally saw it.

And how lucky that I did.  We have seen Ryan Calais Cameron’s work before on the Salterton Arts Review, specifically Typical (back when we were consuming our theatre online), and last year’s Retrograde at the Kiln Theatre.  Both are strong works shedding a light on different characters, settings, and issues.  What they have in common is bringing to life the stories of Black men.  For Black Boys…, of course, brings this into even sharper focus.

If you see the play (and you should), I strongly recommend you get yourself a programme.  It has wonderful essays and interviews, and provides a sort of key to things you may not pick up otherwise.  It also briefly mentions Cameron’s inspiration, Ntozake Shange’s 1974 work For Coloured Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf  Other than the similarity in the titles, they share a similar format of monologues by interconnected women or men of the Black diaspora.  Both are also choreopoems.  If you’re an avid blog reader, you may remember we have encountered the choreopoem before.  It’s a form blending poetry with music, movement and song, combining their power and beauty in a departure from traditional Western storytelling.

…Who Have Considered Suicide…

There are six characters in For Black Boys…: Onyx (Tobi King Bakare), Pitch (Shakeel Haakim), Jet (Fela Lufadeju), Sable (Albert Magashi), Obsidian (Mohammed Mansaray) and Midnight (Posi Morakinyo).  They share their stories in turn, touching on topics like what Black masculinity does and can look like; the complexities of father-son relationships; the impact on mental health of the messages Black boys receive at school, at home and in the community; and the necessity of loving yourself in order to be open to love from others.  There’s talk of police profiling, domestic violence, dating, and sexuality. Unfolding like a group therapy session, it’s a work that is specific to its target demographic and yet has a universal truth to it. It resonates well with audiences on multiple levels.

The choreopoem format also makes it a work of real beauty. The high energy, angry krumping of the first half cedes to the vulnerability of song and touch in the second half. Cameron balances scenes where his characters are exposed and raw with moments of real Black Boy Joy and brotherhood. Even without being one of the Black boys to whom the play is dedicated, it feels cathartic and important. The blend of fantasy and harsh reality is heady and transporting. The press night audience responded to this energy, with more than a few tears shed as the curtain fell.

…When The Hue Gets Too Heavy

Balance and energy really are the two keys to the success of For Black Boys…. This is a true ensemble work, giving each character the space to share their triumphs and low moments, their joy but also what led them to thoughts of suicide. The audience is swept along on the journey, and feels the weight of the world on these young men’s shoulders keenly. A comment by Cameron stood out to me in the programme, about the importance of bringing in a new cast to allow another group of young men to experience the play. “[A]ll of their experiences are valid, because it’s for Black boys. All Black boys everywhere.” With an all Black creative and stage team creating a safe space to explore the text and the characters, the experience as an actor must be transformative.

And now for a little bit more on those other aspects of the production. Anna Reid’s set is perfect for the space For Black Boys… inhabits between reality and fantasy. It’s sharp, angular lines are unforgiving but its colours, as with the costume design, are vibrant and joyful. Rory Beaton’s lighting completes the picture, shifting tones with Cameron as the characters open up to each other. Theophilus O. Bailey’s choreography supports the storytelling impeccably as well as showing off the actors’ talent for movement. After watching this production you inevitably come to understand how special it is, and why it has come back to the stage again and again in such a short space of time. If I can guarantee you one thing, it’s that you won’t regret booking a ticket.

Salterton Arts Review’s rating: 5/5

For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy on until 4 May 2024. More info here.