I’ve Always Liked the Name Marcus – sticking out while trying to fit in (Tinderbox Theatre at the MAC until Sunday 5 May) #cqaf24

Meet Marcus. Growing up, he’s been told to “hide, fit in, blend in, don’t make too much fuss” … while being perceived as exotic and different. You’ll have opinions about his heritage, his culture, his height, and what he represents. Everyone seems to know exactly which labels to hang on him. Everyone, except Marcus who is discombobulated by the constant need to be pigeonholed.

After a low key – and maybe even deliberately – shaky start, the hour-long, largely autobiographical performance by Matthew Sharpe riffs through a series of personas that Marcus has adopted. The child going into ‘big school’ and being bullied for his height, skin colour and early pubescent hairiness. The basketball player: being 5’11” aged 12 has some advantages on the court. The wannabe rapper. The actor auditioning for a part as a slave. The young lad with no information about his Jamaican relatives.

Sharpe embraces the physicality of Patrick J. O’Reilly’s direction, throwing himself into the moves of the different versions of himself. He recreates the frenzy of a school canteen with voices and phrases shooting out in all directions. There’s a sense of risk in air as he demonstrates some freestyle rap based on audience suggestions. And this is an actor who can shoot a basketball under pressure.

The commentary on racism in I’ve Always Liked the Name Marcus is fresh, coming from Sharpe’s biracial perspective. The counterfactual moments imagining how he could, or should, have reacted to situations of conflict and discomfort are very comical. The honesty throughout – though particularly towards the end when he describes a journalist insisting that he must have an opinion on Black Lives Matter and the death of George Floyd – is endearing and gives the performance authenticity.

Everything is transparent and Matthew even changes costume out in the open. A mesh screen brings to life novel vertical video versions of Marcus with whom the live actor interacts. And we can peep through it to a basketball court tucked in behind. Eoin Robinson’s bold video design is neatly integrated into the storytelling, although the script projection in later scenes works less well.

Throughout most of the show, a computer desktop remains projected with four folders visible, all along hinting at the reason the production was created. After a false ending complete with scrolling end credits, Marcus/Matthew returns to explore the genesis of writing and performing this show, adding his perspective on the profiled nature of the Arts Council NI funding opportunity, yet another example of individuals, and maybe even an organisation, feeling the need to judge his skin one way or the other.

I’ve Always Liked the Name Marcus is a strong reminder about systemic bias, about lazy stereotyping, and about the complexity of promoting diversity. It’s good to see Tinderbox Theatre continuing to experiment with styles of storytelling and performance. You can catch Matthew Sharpe sticking out while trying to fit in on stage at The MAC until Sunday 5 May as part of Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival.

Photo credit: James Ward

Enjoyed this review? Why not click on the Buy Me a Tea button!