Benjamin Zephaniah may be a national treasure today, but it’s easy to forget that, as the first young, black wordsmith and poet to break through into the nation’s hearts and minds, it was no easy path. Whilst Benjamin opened doors, packed theatres and added diversity to our TV screens, paving the way for the global success of George the Poet, a new South London kid on the block was following on from their lead, creating a new wave of interest in poetry and words. He created a huge buzz in the process, even launching his own sustainable fashion range. If you are not aware of the rising British talent that is Jahmar Ngozi, where have you been?
Jahmar defines himself as a creative and a contemporary sociologist. As a writer, his ideas are conveyed through poetry, theatrical plays, film and stories, complemented with visual art, moving image, videos, photography and collages that simply make this man’s work provocative, challenging and allow him to create a truly different and authentically artistic experience.
Since 2016, when Jahmar Ngozi won the prestigious Emerging Artist Award from Arcola Theatre, he has taken his growing fan-and-audience base on a roller-coaster of original works from “When Harlem met Kenya” at the Cockpit Theatre for Camden Fringe, “Amsterdam” 2018 at Edinburgh Fringe 2018, to “Van Gogh on the Beach” The Cockpit /Etcetera Theatre as writer, director and producer.
Ngozi emerged as Poetry Slam Champion in 2017 and was a well-deserved hit at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe with his original and stunning work “Broken English,” which comes to the London stage for a limited, but highly anticipated run 20-22 January at The Tristan Bates Theatre http://www.actorscentre.co.uk London. With tickets just £12 https://www.actorscentre.co.uk/theatre/broken-english/book to see and hear the voice and the talent that is Jahmar Ngozi, this is clearly going to be not just the most-talked-about happening in January 2020, but a ‘must-buy’ ticket to discover this young man for yourself before his talent takes him global fast in 2020. But don’t just take my word for it; he has been selected for 2020 Oxford “Playhouse Playmaker” to be mentored by award-winning playwright and former editor of The Independent, Clare Bayley, and reviews of his shows have described his performances as #Brilliant #Extremely Thought-Provoking #Captivating #Amazingly Inspiring #Brilliant Stage Presence #Funny.
This Christmas, a ticket to see Jahmar Ngozi in the best show of 2020 could be the best gift you could give to friends or family, and don’t be surprised if all the mainstream media in 2020 end up raving about Jahmar.
London 20-22 January
Tristan Bates Theatre
1A Tower St, London WC2H 9NP