Bullring Techno Makeout Jamz Review Charming Debut Play
This one-man show by Nathan Kweli's Dennis is written in the wind. The thread of his material is a thin one, but the first-time actor and playwright plays it with irreverent charm, confident comedic timing, and a keen sense of masculine romanticism, keeping the audience in the palm of his hand.
The image of Bullring Techno Makeout Jamz, winner of the 2022 Bruntwood Drama Award, is a black heart emoji. For Kwailey-Dennis, being a social media icon is a way for men, especially black men, to express brotherly love without appearing effeminate. His work creates a space for men - whether father, son, friend or lover - to express their love, be sensual, kind and sensitive.
Like Maryam Paty's strategic love play, The Carousel Tent, also directed by Baines Blau, the story is set in the world of dating in your twenties, with a nuance of absence, awkward conversation, and etiquette. Quiley-Dennis plays a character named Nathaniel, who has a degree in fine arts, works in a call center and appears as a soap opera character who loves cleaning, dressing up and having fun. If I hadn't been looking for something more in the recession life, it could have gone on forever.
It's a refreshing and salutary portrayal of masculinity, even if it elicits some laughs due to its fetishism. His relationship with the barber is exciting in its intimacy. The limits of her skincare routine are obsessive. While filming, Dermot Daly wears some stylish shirts. With references to Destiny's Child (all the women he meets have singer names), he couldn't be less manly, even as Nathaniel established himself as a rapper when he arrived at a techno club in Birmingham.
Enjoyable and bubbly, it has a fun, stand-up vibe. It would be great to see Quiley-Dennis return with more material.
