Description
★★★★★
‘Falconer’s lyrics are sublime’
North West End UK
★★★★★
‘Succeeds on every level’
All That Dazzles
★★★★★
‘I’ve never been fully invested in a show after the first three minutes, but that’s exactly what happened with Tones.’
Afridiziak
★★★★★
‘An engaging and beautiful story’
Ed Fringe Review
★★★★★
‘This show will blow you away from the very first second’
Seven Star Life
★★★★
‘Uplifting and bold, Tones is one-man’s lyrical life story growing up in the ends, exploring black identity in a UK culture obsessed with class and race.’
Broadway Baby
★★★★
‘This is a masterclass in the art of telling a story through rap’
Ed Fringe Guide
What happens if you’re not Black enough for the ends, but too Black for the rest of the world? Tones – A Hip-Hop Opera follows the pivotal moments of lead character Jerome, AKA The Professor, and his upbringing from childhood to his departure from university. As he battles with his identity we go on a journey through the depths of Black-British culture, class, and belonging.
Presented by award-winning Wound Up Theatre, Tones – A Hip-Hop Opera combines the gritty underground sounds of hip-hop, grime and drill with the melodrama of opera to tell the story of a treacherous path to self-discovery.
From writer and performer Gerel Falconer, winner of Best Book and Lyrics at the Black British Theatre Awards 2024 and nominee for The Stage Debut Awards, Tones is a riveting exploration of the Black experience and the Mixed experience.
Creative team
Writer & Performer Gerel Falconer
Developed and Directed by Jonny Kelly
Composer 3D Williams
Cast
Gerel Falconer as Jerome
Gerel is an award-winning actor, writer, rapper, rapperturg and lyricist. As a writer, he specialises in fusing theatre with UK Hip-Hop, Grime and UK Drill music. This unique style of writing has earned him the title of Rapperturg. He is the winner of the Black British Theatre Awards 2023 Book And Lyrics Award presented at The National Theatre and in 2023 was nominated as Best Composer, Lyricist or Book writer for the Stage Debut Awards.
He trained as an actor at East 15 Acting School, where he received a BA (Hons) Degree in Acting, winning the 2012 Lilian Bayliss Award.
