Tones - A Hip Hop Opera

A piece of gig theatre like no other, Tones – A Hip Hop Opera combines the gritty underground sounds of hip-hop, grime and drill with the melodrama of opera to tell the story of a treacherous path to self-discovery. From writer and performer Gerel Falconer, winner of Best Book and Lyrics at the Black British Theatre Awards 2024 and nominee for The Stage Debut Awards, Tones is a riveting exploration of the black experience and the mixed experience.

What happens if you’re not black enough for the ends, but too black for the rest of the world? Tones – A Hip Hop Opera follows the pivotal moments of lead character Jerome, AKA The Professor, and his upbringing from childhood to his departure from university. As he battles with his identity we go on a journey through the depths of Black-British culture, class, and belonging.

Presented by award-winning Wound Up Theatre, this story offers a reflection on modern Britain, both in the form that it takes and the themes that it explores. It delves into the societal pressures concerning race, class, and identity that shape Jerome’s experiences and looks at the consequences that ensue as a result. Underscored with an original soundtrack from producer 3D Williams combining hip-hop and opera, Tones is a truly unique piece of gig-theatre.

Writer and performer Gerel Falconer comments, “Tones is a show that’s instinctively rhythmic and full of lyrical style. The story of Jerome will make you grimace and smile. From High passion grime clashing to mixing with rich kids code-switching to fit in with lessening guile – Tones needs to be on now!

I can tell you assuredly, as we all have moments of mass insecurity. We all battle who we are versus the person the world says we ought to be.”

Rapping for almost an entire hour straight, Gerel Falconer quite literally uses all of his own breath to breathe new life into the hip-hop genre, proving that even when the music is thriving and perhaps at its most popular there are still new ways in which the music can be told and in the case of Tones, told beautifully (Broadway World).