“Wickedly smart, unapologetically provocative, and impossible to forget—Tambo & Bones will shake you to your core and leave you questioning everything.”
Let’s get this out of the way early, if you’re easily rattled by strong language, brace yourself. Within the first hour alone, the word “N*gga” is fired off with a frequency that’s almost staggering. And no, not euphemistically tucked away as “the N-word” it’s front and centre. But here’s the thing: it’s not gratuitous. In Tambo & Bones, every syllable is deliberate. This show is an incendiary theatrical firebomb, lobbed with a sly grin and zero apologies.
Dave Harris doesn’t hand you a conventional story. What he delivers instead is a blisteringly original mashup that swerves between satire, concert, and dystopia often all at once. It’s a searing breakdown of Black identity and capitalism, wrapped up in a whirlwind of fourth-wall-smashing chaos.
The power of this play lies in its ability to disorient. Just when you think you’ve found solid ground, it flips the narrative and leaves you reeling. Harris’s writing is confrontational in the best possible way demanding that audiences stare directly into the uneasy intersections of race, performance, and profit.
Massive credit is due to the entire cast (those robot performers were equal parts hilarious and unnerving), with particular praise for Daniel Ward, who reprises his role as Bones. He’s magnetic, uproariously funny, sly, and razor-sharp. Alongside him, Clifford Samuel’s Tambo brings a grounded intensity, channeling rage into something focused and potent. Together, they spark off each other with a rhythm that propels the entire production.
Director Matthew Xia orchestrates this chaos with confidence, turning what could be disjointed into something cohesive and exhilarating. The set and costume design by Sadeysa Greenaway-Bailey and ULTZ are a visual punch, loud, surreal, and unforgettable.
Tambo & Bones is not here to comfort you. It’s bold, brash, and often deeply unsettling. But it’s also wickedly smart, laugh-out-loud funny, and loaded with moments that will haunt you. It lingers, demanding reflection long after it ends. A fearless piece of theatre that’s likely destined for cult acclaim, miss it at your peril.
Showing at Stratford East until May 10th and then the Leeds Playhouse
