I’m just going to say it – regardless of whether you see yourself as a theatre goer, you should try and see Tambo and Bones at Northampton’s Royal and Derngate before it moves on to big cities on tour.
It’s funny, jaw-dropping and provocative with a superbly talented cast and crew and unlike anything you’re likely to have seen before. Watching (to the end, more of that later) is stressful and challenging but utterly necessary. I’m baffled as to why there were empty seats, and I hope more people take the chance to catch it here.
It’s a tricky one to stick in a spoiler-free synopsis: Act one sees two ‘minstrel show’ era comedians Tambo (Clifford Samuel) and Bones (Daniel Ward) in a Waiting for Godot-esque, cartoony setting of the 19th century ‘Jim Crowe’ era for black former slaves, one just wanting to sleep and work out how to change the world, and the other just determined to make money, pleading for ‘quarters’ from a mostly white, slightly shifting in their seats, audience. Tambo and Bones were real characters in 1800s US, and have been brought back to life by writer and poet Dave Harris and director Matthew Xia.
Act two sees Tambo and Bones brought into a contemporary world as hugely successful rap artists, and you really get a full gig experience (the Royal’s acoustics and sound system are so much better than I ever realised). Again, Tambo still wants to change the world, call out racism and inequality, while Bones sees making money as his way out – think Kendrick Lamar or Killer Mike versus 50Cent or Lil Wayne. The duo have escaped the mockery and servitude of the 1800s’ vaudeville but the racism and ‘othering’ in society remains. Like the minstrel act, they’re still talking about black pain and inequality – only now they have plenty of dollars.
Be warned from the start – I’m not sure the R&D’s majority white, middle class theatre faithful will ever have heard as many uses of the N word – here applied to white and black people – in any previous outing.
At the end of the first half, I’ll admit we weren’t sure if there was more to come. A few people around us were also unsure and it was only by seeing others leaving coats in their seats that helped. A few may even have left. But that would be a huge mistake, because the second half is when the even bigger story emerges.
We’ve moved on 400 years to a commemoration event for the now historic Tambo and Bones, with the actors as narrators telling what happened to the titular duo. Without spoilers, it ‘aint been good for the white population, but in this new world order there are still oppressed individuals in the form of white robots, on stage as body-popping X-Bot1 and 2, played in a mesmerising way by dancer Jaron Lammens and expert clown Dru Cripps (where’s the seat? WHERE IS IT?)
The denouement is shocking, brutal, and all-too relevant. The audience is left almost frozen in their seats as one of the characters exits shouting “I’m not going to take a bow, I know what I did.”
And that’s it. The audience are told they can stay in their seats or use the Royal’s sensory space if they need time to process what they’ve seen. Some people were clearly moved by the whole experience while others debated over a glass of wine afterwards. Don’t think, however, this is a show to divide us, it’s so relevant in the current climate of global fear and conflict. This is challenging and important work and I’d love to see it sell out the remaining shows in Northampton. Bravo.
Tambo and Bones runs in the Royal until Saturday evening. Tickets from just £15 via the Box Office are still available before heading out on a national tour.
