From
BASHMENT
by Rikki Beadle-Blair
Bashment by Rikki Beadle-Blair was first performed at Theatre Royal Stratford East in London on 25 May 2005. Written and directed by the author, the original cast included: Nathan Clough (MC KKK), Ludvig Bonin (DJ Venom), Jennifer Daley (Karisma), Joel Dommett (JJ), Arnie Hewitt (Sam/Daniel/Arresting Officer/Judge/Prisoner), Duncan MacInnes (Kevan), Joe Marshall (White Fang), Anthony Newell (Orlando), Jason Steed (MC Eggy), and Luke Toulson.
Bashment tackles homophobic lyrics in popular urban music. A homophobic attack takes place in a Raggae Dance Hall competition. The group of five youths (members of the Ilford Illmanics crew) involved in the attack defend their actions by saying they were provoked, and receive an extremely light sentence. Public defender confronts the attackers before they’re released and asks, ‘Did the music make you do it?’
About the Playwright
Award-winning playwright, director, choreographer, rock musician, cabaret artist and producer Rikki Beadle-Blair was born in south London and raised by his Jamaican mother. From the age of seventeen, when he performed with his band Three People at a Gay’s the Word concert, Rikki Beadle-Blair has been a proactive gay activist using his artistic voice to raise the awareness of homosexuality, particularly in the black community.
Rikki is renowned for his stage play Bashment which was nominated for Best New Play at the national TMA awards. In 2010, the movie adaptation of Bashment was produced by Rikki Beadle-Blair and his company Team Angelica.
Other published plays by Rikki Beadle-Blair include: Family Man, Fit and Shalom Baby.
Summary (Extract)
The action takes place on the same day as the MC Throwdown competition. Two members of the Ilford Illmanics crew, MC KKK, a twenty-two-year old Jamaican, together with White Fang, attempt to use their bad-boy reputation to intimidate cashier Karisma into serving them first at the local east London petrol station. Karisma refuses to serve him which leads to a verbal attack on her and the other customers in the shop.
Think you’re cute, innit?
Think you got it all sorted
– think you ain’t ghetto,
Just ’cause your upwardly-mobile nigger daddy found a white bitch to be his baby mama
and you grew up talking like the enemy you think you ain’t ghetto, innit?
Well, when you marry your nice lickle white bot
with his nice lickle white boy
with his nice lickle white job
and his nice lickle white house
in nice lickle Whitetown
and you take your nice lickle mullato baby out
in his nice lickle pram
and all the nice lickle white mums arx you how long you been his fucking nanny
you’ll see just how cute you ain’t and you’ll know just how ghetto you are.
And when that moment reach and you call your Gay Best Friend
and he sends your call to voicemail – you’ll think of this moment,
yeah and you’ll remember – you could’ve connected with a brudda.
Someone coulda had your back.
You get me?... Sista?