Little Lark of London

Recently, I had the chance to speak with Gerel Falconer about his upcoming Edinburgh Fringe show, Tones, which is a “hip-hop opera” surrounding a black man’s identity crisis over his skin tone and voice. We discussed his creative process for the show, how music plays a role in the work, and even what it is like to perform a show entirely in verse!

What inspired you to create Tones?

Frustration of societal expectations of traits and behaviours. When you bring class and race into the equation, we’re faced with stereotypical connotations causing us to overcompensate to evade them. 

For instance, when you get a white criminal, they’re always reported as a rogue individual afflicted with mental illness and we’re pitiful. When it comes to black people we’re conditioned to think, “It had to have to be one of them, typical.” Why does the act of an individual person make the outlook on our entire race worsen?

So, we tone ourselves down to avoid those connections. Code-switching from “wah gwan” to “hello mate,” “geezer” not “bredrin” to ease the perception. 

Why do we feel the need to appease for acceptance? The show Tones evolved from deepening questions.

What has the creative process been like for this semi-autobiographical show?

At first, it was weird. It got easier the more I persevered because the fictional elements made it less worse to bear. On the other side of it, there were exciting times as my mind was in hyper-drive, finding rhymes, a rubix-cube of human truth summarised in lines. It was tricky finding balance between storytelling and stylish patterns.

How does music, especially grime and opera, play a role in Tones?

Grime provides a gritty sense of reality. Opera heightens the emotional tonality.

What is it like performing a show entirely in verse?

Great! I have a fascination with the way we say things and lyrical descriptions of the pictures we’re painting. I spend a lot of finding flows on the microphone so when it came to writing Tones I felt right at home. 

What do you hope audiences take away from Tones?

Vibes… energy… anger… serenity… a connection… self-reflection – there’s a lot of things! In short, anything more than vagueness and nothingness.

How would you describe Tones in one word?

Mercurial.

Gerel Falconer will perform Tones: A Hip Hop Opera at the Edinburgh Festival at 3pm in Pleasance Courtyard (Upstairs) from 2nd – 28th August. To book, visit https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/tones-hip-hop-opera 

Photo Credit: Aimee Morley