This was one of those punts where I didn’t really know what I was in for but had a suspicion it might not be for me, but hey I like a bit of theatrical adventure. Good to report it paid back.
You wouldn’t need a whole postage stamp to write down what I know about grime, but I took a twenty-something, so I had a short course before and after (there are so many musical genres and sub-genres these days, its very complicated). Debris Stevenson starts by telling us she studied classical poets but learnt more from grime artist Dizzee Rascal’s 2003 debut album Boy in da Corner and she was going to give us her take on it.
Once you work out it’s the true story of her early life, you settle into a fascinating tale told in rap, dance, dialogue and music with three others – Kirubel Belay, Cassie Clare & Jammz – playing people in her life like her mum, brother and school friends. It’s a clever and audacious combination of ingredients that come together to create something rather fresh and original, though some of the rap was so fast, with lots of impenetrable slang, and it did feel like Part One, ending as it does before she even goes to University. I very much liked Jacob Hughes’ black, yellow and white design.
When we were asked to get to our feet, I looked around to see an extraordinary combination of reactions from Court regulars and newbies and it all seemed rather surreal. Great to see something genuinely original and very different on this stage though and me, an unlikely recruit. I think my grime name is gonna be Gazza.
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