Prince Kundai  [Bootycandy Production – Ali Wright]

WHEN young Sutter dances on stage in his underwear with a dictionary in hand, gleefully waving at the audience, little do we know the delight that’s about to unfold.

His mother tells him in no uncertain terms that a period is what you put at the end of a sentence and his “bootycandy”, a term for his d*ck, is not for licking.

What ensues is a kaleidoscopic exploration of the Black queer experience from the 70s to the Noughties, to the backdrop of music by Luther Vandross, Toni Braxton, Michael Jackson and Destiny’s Child.

Through a series of vignettes which include a pastor who comes out against homophobia, quite literally in gold heels, a sweet but tortured love story between two friends and a conversation between a grandmother with Alzheimer’s and an older Sutter, we learn about the joy, love, sex, pain and shame – the threads that weave the intricate patterns of a Black, gay existence.

Set in the round, Robert O’Hara’s hilarious comedy, under Tristan Fynn-Aiduenu’s direction and Milla Clarke’s minimalist design, boasts five actors playing multiple characters who give it their all.

Prince Kundai, who earnestly plays Sutter through the ages, is a rising star to watch.

Until March 11
gatetheatre.co.uk/