JONZI D – LYRIKAL FEARTA | STAGE REVIEW
Sherman Cymru, Cardiff, Tues 28 Jan
Lyrikal Fearta began with lots of whooping and hollering… from the crowd. For some reason, there were a fair few ‘kids’ (teenagers) in the audience, and they would Not Shut Up. Someone eventually shouted “shut up”, and were promptly laughed at. Eventually, however, the Young Ones piped down, as the show absorbed their collective attention…
First up, we were offered a warm-up act who (I later found out) were responsible for bringing along many of the underage darlings. 4dee and hip hop partner in rhyme (you see what I did there?) Joe Blow are the Understated Veterans. Veterans of what, I did not know; not really understated, either. Their songs were saturated with an anger I couldn’t quite connect to. A song that included the words “Cymru am byth” seemed to rouse the crowd (in particular the kids – 4dee is an excellent and well-respected teacher of breakdance, I discovered), but I personally found the patriotic sentiment a little out of keeping with one of the main show’s themes, that of Jonzi D rejecting an MBE. This simplistic nationalism contrasted strongly with the complexity of Jonzi’s thoughtful work but, it wasn’t badly done. Just not to my personal taste, really.
Hip hop theatre producer and dancer Jonzi, then, brought us the first of two pieces. Broken Lineage explores the divisions and similarities between the old and new skool hip hop generations, as represented by two characters – MC Foundation (Jonzi, in track suit and suitable 90s-wear) and Cryptic (dancer Ivan Blackstock). I thought the opening sequence was excellent – Jonzi and shadow making various breakdance forms – and the verbal interplay between the two characters (archetypes?) was also brilliant. However, I found the piece a little too short for me. I would have liked to have seen more, and did not feel the differences between the two skools were explored enough for someone such as myself, who knows very little of the genre. However, Jonzi was terrific, the dancing was superb, and what there was of lyric/script were incisive and extremely sharply-written.
Second piece, The Letter, was the highlight for this reviewer. Jonzi played six characters in this, each giving their point of view on whether he should, or should not, accept the honour. Well-written and finely acted, these were cleverly observed characters, believable in their opinions, mannerisms, even voices (Jonzi’s female characters were unmistakably female, for instance). Insightful and enquiring, any seriousness supplemented by a fine comic sense, as well as wonderful satirical humour – one character, a corporate sort, being represented by the back of a chair, complete with tie and white-gloved hands – this was a truly fantastic piece of theatre, and highly deserving of the many accolades it has so far accumulated.
At the end of the show, Jonzi thanked the audience for coming along, and laughed about the hubub made by the young people – “making noise, that’s what it’s all about”. Liveliness and humour, acceptance and inclusion, a sense of community – this is Jonzi D, and this is the hip hop tradition that he represents. The break dancing then continued into the foyer… and the shouting suddenly seemed far less annoying.
words MAB JONES
