Ryan Calais Cameron’s Olivier-Award nominated For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When The Hue Gets Too Heavy returned to London’s West End in 2024 following three previous sold-out runs, the latest at the Apollo Theatre earlier this year.
The production is now booking until 1 June 2024.
The play, which was nominated for Best New Play and Best Actor in a Supporting Role at the 2023 Olivier Awards sold out its original run at the New Diorama Theatre, its subsequent transfer to the Royal Court Theatre and its initial West End run at the Apollo Theatre. The production has received widespread critical and public acclaim garnering notable fans such as John Boyega, David Harewood, Daniel Kaluuya, Beverley Knight, Rapman, Stormzy and Letitia Wright.
Inspired by Ntozake Shange’s seminal work For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf, For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When The Hue Gets Too Heavy is located on the threshold of joyful fantasy and brutal reality: a world of music, movement, storytelling and verse – where six men clash and connect in a desperate bid for survival. Father figures and fashion tips. Lost loves and jollof rice. African empires and illicit sex. Good days and bad days. Six young Black men meet for group therapy, and let their hearts – and imaginations – run wild.
The play was originally conceived by Ryan Calais Cameron in the wake of the killing of Trayvon Martin in 2012 and has been developed over the course of the last decade with young Black men and mental health groups.
For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When The Hue Gets Too Heavy was originally commissioned by New Diorama Theatre, co-commissioned by Boundless Theatre. The West End production is presented by the Royal Court Theatre, Nimax Theatres, Nouveau Riche and the New Diorama Theatre.
