Pigeon English @ Underbelly Cowgate

Eleven year old Harri (David C. Johnson) lives in a deprived inner city council estate with his mother and sister having recently moved from Ghana. Faced with cultural differences, the turf wars of the local gangs and street crime, Harri must walk a difficult tightrope to the backdrop of a community in the aftermath of a brutal murder.

While Harri and his best friend Dean investigate the murder with a typically prepubescent enthusiasm and naïvety, his worried mother must cope with long hours and a family in crisis while sister Lydia tries to fit in with friends and finds herself stuck in a tough situation. With a mixture of beat-boxing, carnival dancing and rap (albeit with a few sound issues), this community is brought to life with vivacity and a multitude of layers.

Based on the Man Booker Prize longlisted novel by Stephen Kelman, this co-production between National Youth Theatre and Bristol Young Vic Theatre is a perfect showcase for a myriad of talented youngsters who inhabit their characters with apparent ease. These are characters carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders but still full of vibrancy and ambitions, whether the rest of the world chooses to acknowledge them or not.

The audience sit in the centre of the echoing Big Belly of the Underbelly Cowgate, facing the multi-level set while the cast run around the room. This slickly directed, high-octane and well-paced production engulfs the audience in this world where crime and danger are prevalent but music and celebration still exist. If Pigeon English is an example of the acting talent of the future then we have nothing to worry about.