REVIEW: No More Mr Nice Guy by Cal-I Jonel at The Broadway Theatre until 16 March & on tour
‘a moving journey’ ★★★★
On entering the space, the audience are met with a full band set up: Two keyboards, one guitar, full drum kit and nine mics all surrounding a leather armchair. The lighting is reminiscent of a club night and the music supports the club night atmosphere. Excitement and intrigue build as the audience take their seats. The house lights finally go down after some delay.
The main character Keloughn Douglas, a British-Caribbean Music Teacher, is played by Cal-I Jonel. Keloughn is caught between his desire to build a traditional life with the love of his life and his thirst for creative expression through his music. He learns to play the game of life at work and home with skill. However, he soon finds himself overwhelmed by the expectation at home, micro aggressions at work, the ever-increasing pressure that squashes his creativity into deep frustration.
The pressure experienced by Keloughn is expressed through rap and spoken word with punch, hitting the audience with rhythm and excellent timing leaving them breathless at times. The smooth RnB melodies expressed the love and pain Keloughn felt in equal measure taking the audience on a moving journey.
Carl-I jonel was able to smoothly transition from character to character, occasionally slipping out of character to become the performer you would expect to see on a club night.
The story of Keloughn Douglas reflects eloquently the struggle of British Black men in the past and the present day. This is story that needs to be told, and Cal-l Jonel has the talent to do this story justice.
Nouveau Riche presents the world premiere of
No More Mr Nice Guy by Cal-I Jonel.
Broadway Theatre, Catford
6 – 16 March
Box Office https://www.broadwaytheatre.org.uk/events/no-more-mr-nice-guy/
UK tour (Home Manchester 21 - 23 March; Birmingham Rep 27 - 30 March; Bristol Old Vic 3 - 6 April).
Reviewed by Paula David es here. To edit this text, click on it and delete this default text and start typing your own or paste your own from a different source.
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