Tones: A Hip Hop Opera @ Summerhall

Tones: a Hip-Hop Opera follows Jerome (Gerel Falconer) as he tells the audience of his journey into young-adulthood, experiencing the trials and tribulations of a young Black man growing up in Britain. Exploring class, mental health and what it means to belong, Falconer uses the art of rap to convey the deepest truths, giving a voice to the feelings that have so often been silenced. 

The stage is set with a ladder, pots of paint and DIY paraphernalia as Jerome paints his new home. Jonny Kelly’s direction is astute as the minimal set is cleverly transformed throughout the show as and when the scene requires it. This relies on Falconer to convince the audience that a ladder, for example, is also his childhood television. He does so skilfully, and we can visualise the story vividly thanks to his imaginative display. This immediately injects energy and physicality into the performance.

Narrated chronologically, we begin with Jerome’s upbringing in a Jamaican family. As he grows older, he begins to feel pressured to assimilate with his wealthy white friend. As time goes on, his imposter syndrome grows into something even more sinister. Rejected by his Black friends at school for “sounding white”, he decides to curate a whole new ‘Jerome 2.0’ in order to “be more Black” and “assimilate” yet again. Turning to Grime and Garage music, genre and subject-matter collide with great success as we witness rap battles between Jerome and an entitled and racist university student. Every character is colourfully portrayed by Falconer, who delivers a masterclass in multi-roling: each character is fleshed out and fully distinct from the others. The most touching moments come from ‘Uncle B’, who uses poetic imagery to make powerful, encouraging statements about what it means to be Black that take your breath away. 

The show delivers many poignant messages. Choosing the medium of rap in itself challenges the notion that it is violent, sexist or offensive, demonstrating that it facilitates rich stories to be told and language to be experimented with. It’s poetry and music. Falconer highlights the tension between the perpetuation of Black stereotypes and the conditions that bring them about, especially when being Black is associated with violence by Jerome's peers at university. Through Jerome’s struggles, Falconer demonstrates that there is not one way to be Black – difference and shared experience can co-exist. 

Falconer tells this story almost entirely through rap. This alone is a feat of endurance, and he doesn’t fumble his words once. Set to 3D Williams' impressive score, Tones: a Hip-Hop Opera brings art and life together with personal and hard-hitting truths about race and class in Britain. This is not one to miss at this year's Fringe.

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Tones: A Hip-Hop Opera, Summerhall (Roundabout), until 26 Aug, 6.50pm, £10-17