6 – 10 May
Shaped through its dynamic lyricism and the lively performance, Tones: A a Hip-Hop Opera, follows Jerome (Gerel Falconer) as he navigates life as a young black man growing up in 90s and 00s Britain. The heart of this trailblazing format is Falconer. To the background of underground sounds of hip-hop, grime and drill, his character Jerome raps us through his journey from the council estates of Harlesden to the stuffy university halls of Durham University. Falconer’s boundless energy and magnetic lyricism paint an emotional portrait of what it means to never quite fit in, wherever you go.
He expertly shape-shifts into each character, from the warmth of his Jamaican mother to his ‘hood smart’ cousin, from his ignorant upper class white best friend to his foreboding first love; Falconer’s uncanny ability to morph into these characters means he never seems alone on stage. Similarly, he transports us through the binary worlds he experiences – the buzz of his family kitchen, the grotty warehouse, home to a pirate radio station where he must prove himself as both a rapper and a black man.
Through Jerome’s story, Tones takes us deeper into the nuanced societal pressures that exist within Black-British culture. How you can feel not black enough for the ends, but too black for the rest of the world?
Capturing the classic melodrama of opera through the prism of rap feels like a refreshing format and one that I’d love to see more of. However, whilst the lyrics themselves were expertly woven “Your mother sees you as a scholar, but your skin is literacy”, it felt let down by the accompanying track, that often failed to match the soul of the story. The performance was undermined technically at times, with some transitions between scenes jarring as the music cuts too suddenly. Bolder lighting changes and a more fluid track throughout would have helped guide our experience.
It also felt as though the ending did not do the story justice, feeling abrupt and somewhat lacking conclusion. A real shame given how engrossed we were with his story throughout.
But despite this, the Tones: A Hip Hop Opera should be commended for its ambitious approach to a new format that feels refreshing to watch, and for the message at its heart: one of forging your own identity, no matter the tone of your skin.
★★★☆☆ Beth Teverson, 9 May 2025
Photography credit: Andrew Perry
