★★★★✰
From start to finish you are invited to laugh and cry with Little D like he is your very own little brother.
Sunny Side Up is a one-man-play about Little D, who narrates his coming of age story. He takes us on a journey from his primary school days and infatuation with a girl crush, to his explosive teenage years and encounters with knife crime, ending on a sombre and teary note as he relives the loss of his Dad.
The play’s staging is minimal: a rack of clothes and shoes in the background, a wooden bench, and a chair. This is fitting because of the autobiographical nature of the play: you are not distracted by excessive props and special effects, as Little D shares his heart about his growing pains.
Both the writing and delivery were impeccable. The play was written as though it was a rap song, and was performed like so on many occasions throughout the performance. It could be compared on a micro-scale to the likes of Hamilton.
The lyrical genius of the play was captivating and highly emotive. The power of Little D’s rap lyrics are most poignant and provocative when he talks about his knife carrying days and the passing of his father. He uses a meal deal metaphor to describe the problems he is facing as a direct result of where he lives: “Nowadays growing up in the hood these problems are just a part of your meal deal. And boy did Lil D have to swallow his sandwich, snack and drink…as the particles of this meal diffuse into his blood – he’s changing. Killing his conscience”.
Little D goes into a frenzied rap after getting a phone call informing him his dad has died: “How d’you complete a sandwich with no bread?! How’s Sade supposed to lay in that bed?!… Alone with no hope of you coming back.” You feel terrible for him in his grief but also bob your head in admiration of the bars he is spitting. It’s like listening to the Black British version of Puff Daddy’s ‘I’ll Be Missing You’.
Though a one-man-play, there were several characters presented to the audience; Little D’s siblings and parents to name a few. David Alade was able to create distinctive characters with the use of accurate accents (not everyone can do a Nigerian accent well) and a broad artillery of mannerisms—some outlandish and intimidating and others more subtle and humorous.
Little D created a good rapport with the audience and made us feel like a close friend looking on the inside, or a therapist he could tell all his secrets to. We were to him, what his dad was to him in his final days. “Care-home visits every week. They’ve become quite therapeutic, you…just pour out everything you’ve been doing, thinking and feeling, and Sunny won’t interrupt you… it was refreshing and this environment… well it’s… it’s not so bad for Lil D.”
In case you haven’t realised yet, Little D is actor and playwright David Alade himself. He takes us on a roller coaster that is his journey to manhood and reminds young black men, like him, of the importance of having an outlet for their pain. Alade’s outlet is this play. In his closing remarks he says: “Black boy please check in on your pain. Because if your bottle breaks, you may never be the same again”.
Sunny Side Up is playing at Theatre Peckham from 11 May- 15 May 2022 and is part of the theatre’s Peckham Fringe Festival—a festival of dynamic stories and culture that continues into next month, ending 5 June.
Words by Solape Alatise
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