We didn’t expect a play with a name like this to be an easy watch, but The Death of a Black Man presents really quite a challenging evening at the theatre.
Over the course of two hours it considers a range of big issues including race, gender, class and cultural appropriation. These are not nice and well-rounded characters; they all have their flaws, while their language and attitudes – which we’re sure are reflective of what was deemed acceptable in the early 1970s – make for uncomfortable viewing now.
Expect homophobia, misogyny and antisemitism. The show focuses on the lives of Shakie (Nickcolia King-N’Da), an 18-year-old living in an improbably nice flat in west London, his best friend Stumpie (Toyin Omari-Kinch), and Jackie (Natalie