an ultimately uplifting tale of being a person who makes mistakes and learns from them, eventually concluding that really he needs to try.
Boyhood at the Pleasance Theatre is an ultimately uplifting tale of being a person who makes mistakes and learns from them, eventually concluding that provided he tries, he hasn’t failed. Which is true. It’s a lovely message and one not to be underestimated.
Written by Conor Hunt (with fabulous music from Conrad Murray) and directed by Tom Bellerby, Boyhood explores a young, black teenager living on an estate in South London navigating the trials of boyhood (naturally) paired with the onslaught of unexpected fatherhood. He’s seventeen, skiving off school, very pleased with his girlfriend Al, and pretty chill about everything (alarmingly so for a teenager). When Al tells Jay she’s pregnant, he freaks and runs away, doing the one thing she was scared he would. Time and time again, Jay tries to take responsibility and be an ‘adult’ only to scare again and run off. But he always comes back. Until one day, when no apologies, love, or charm, can exonerate him. What Jay makes of a dire situation in a world that seems indifferent to his suffering is at the crux of this kind and heartfelt play.
Dia Peters is a strong performer, and his musical side shines. He is self-assured yet naïve – but charmingly so – as Jay, who is beset by challenges.
Kate Donnachie is very cool in all she does. I’m not sure how much her role thrives structurally – it’s potentially odd to have a white woman multi-rolling as a selection of black men but that’s not for me to arbitrate. So, whilst I have reservations about this choice stylistically, one cannot deny she is an undeniable multifaceted and talented performer who breathes life into every role and song she inhabits.
Murray’s music is by far the star of the show. Clever and it’s compelling, it essential creates a rap musical, occasioned with Donnachie’s gorgeous riffs and guitar.
Boyhood does, therefore, hold your attention, even if much of its narrative is on the predictable side. Though it uses as its focus working class black men and the way in which institutions routinely fail to support and encourage them, there is little in the way of political statement to pick out of the piece. I suppose that’s fine, however it did make me question both who the target audience is and what the ultimate intention of the show is.
Boyhood is also not a comedy perse, but it has a playful touch, and its Gen Z-style humour generally lands well. There are questions about the efficacy of the production, and why these creatives chose to tell this particular story. All this being said, it is an innovative piece of community-focused piece of theatre, focalising a narrative too oft neglected, and that is to be admired and celebrated.