Rodney Black: Who Cares? It’s Working! dove headfirst into the darkest corners of stand-up comedy and cancel culture.
Playwright Sadie Pearson’s disturbing script followed stand-up comic Rodney Black, who always takes it too far.
Rodney, played by Ben Willows, is a successful comedian, until one super-fan decides to emulate the actions Rodney was only joking about.
The trouble is, all of Rodney’s jokes were about raping and killing women.
Rodney was flanked by his obnoxious manager, played by Bertie Taylor-Smith, who walked crotch-first, spat when he spoke and pushed the comic to make more and more offensive jokes.
Pearson’s writing and Full Frontal Theatre’s direction fearlessly wrestled the uncomfortable subject.
The audience was left in staggered silence when the lights went down, followed by rapturous applause.
Pearson won the Alpine Fellowship 2024 with this script, on the theme was language.
She said: “I wanted to do something about the ethics of language and the responsibility that we have in what we deliver to an audience, and the responsibility of the kind of audience in what kind of language we choose to consume.”
The first character we met was Woman, played by Merida Beasley, as she described the brutal assault and murder of a woman in Brighton.
She obliterated the fourth wall as soon as she walked onstage.
Then, we met Rodney, coming on for a stand-up gig, gripping the microphone like a gun.
Rodney was likeable, taking us through his journey to fame in stand-up sets, and the audience awkwardly laughed along with his uncomfortable humour.
His manager pushed him to the brink of these disgusting jokes, until the papers hear about his rapist-superfan.
Then, we follow Rodney being haunted by the Woman for what he has caused.
Throughout, Woman feeds us information about the incident, until it becomes clear that she was always the Woman, and it could be any of us too.
She repeats: “I hope she was dead first, but I know that she wasn’t”.
Rodney Black is a hungry character, always looking for more attention and willing to sacrifice his morals to get it.
He says: “Substance isn’t what’s important. It’s entertainment.”
Rodney almost convinces you to be on his side as Willows played the comic in such an honest way, like he was a decent bloke who was forced into this situation by his manager.
The hour-long production, the perfect length for such a difficult subject, flew by.
Pearson’s script was not humourless. It balanced horror and genuine moments of comedy on a knifes edge. It was horrible, but you didn’t tire of it.
Hen Ryan’s direction was punchy. The audience were always on the edge of their seat, waiting for the next shout or gut-wrenching line.
Merida Beasley’s performance of Woman was incredibly dry, with pursed lips and one eyebrow raised.
She spoke of how the play made her realise how important this topic is.
She said: “There were times where I think it was highlighted even more.
“Throughout my week I’d see things happen, like the way men talk to women.
“Seeing them be made uncomfortable and I’d be like: This is so relevant.”
When the superfan’s actions came out in the papers, Rodney goes on the defence.
He claimed his comedy brought rape culture to the forefront of the debate: “I want the darkest parts of life exactly where I can see them.”
Pearson forced the audience to consider the relationship between the celebrity and audience.
It’s not what you say, but what people hear, and the actions they take as a result.
Online rage bait is an all too easy route to fame, now, and Rodney Black: Who Cares? It’s Working! shows the dark truth of what offensive material can lead to.
Full Frontal Theatre have proved that they can tackle difficult topics, and I am sure that their next play will be equally disturbing and honest as the last.
Rodney Black: Who Cares? It’s Working! played The Lion & Unicorn, Kentish Town, from 17-21 December 2024.
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