Have Box Will Travel

Published Monday 21 April 2008 at 15:15 by Catherine Usher

It’s a brave man who writes and stars in an autobiographical account of his hip hop-filled life, through all its colourful moments of comedy and tragedy.

Thankfully Charlie Dark - he didn’t even disguise his name - is an incredibly likeable fellow who conveys the details of his childhood with a particularly effective warmth and humour.

Telling his story on quite a bare, minimalist stage, his music system is very much another main character in the play, and clearly Dark’s technical wizardry on the decks is a genuine talent. His enthusiasm for the music is also commendable and it is only due to the fact that the Lyric Hammersmith audience are rather a reserved crowd that he didn’t have people dancing in their seats at some points.

His capacity for storytelling however, isn’t quite so impressive. As can be the problem with an autobiographical account, what’s important to the storyteller isn’t necessarily fundamental to the plot, and at an hour and a half in length (without an interval), the play could do with some rather brutal pruning.

Also the low points of his career - such as when he has a breakdown - are skimmed over quickly, as if it’s testing Dark’s acting abilities too much or, indeed, delving into too raw an area for him to dwell on.

Ultimately, this tale has a lot to offer, and for those who don’t know much about hip hop, it’s also a bit of an education. Acted with obvious passion and rich technical skill, like a DJ’s set it has moments to savour and others that hit a bum note.