Bullring Techno Makeout Jamz Review Charming Debut Play
This one-man show from Nathan Kweley-Dennis was written by Wind. The thread is thin, but the young actor and playwright holds the audience with such carefree charm, assured comic timing and sweet male romance.
The 2022 Bruntwood Prize winning Bullring Techno Makeout Jamz emoji is the black heart emoji. According to Kweli-Dennis, the social media icon is a way for men, especially black men, to express their brotherly love without coming across as feminine. His play sets the scene for men—fathers, sons, boyfriends or girlfriends—to express their love in a tender, tender, and sensitive way.
Like Miriam Baty's strategic love game set in a circular tent at Paines Plow, the scene is a 20s world of dating, a minefield of no-shows, awkward conversations and good manners. Kweli-Dennis plays a character named Nathaniel, an art graduate who works at a call center and appears to be a casual acquaintance, dressing up and all. With a stagnant economy, life can go on forever, if nothing else.
It's a refreshingly wholesome depiction of masculinity, but its liberties bring plenty of laughs. His relationship with the barber is sexual in nature. Her skincare routine limits excess. And Dermot Daly wore a number of stylish shirts during the production. With a reference to Destiny's Child (all the women he dates have the singer's name), Nathaniel couldn't be less macho even though he's established himself as a rapper in a Birmingham techno club.
Fun and boisterous, stand-up mode is fun and temporary. It would be nice to see Kweli-Dennis back with more.