Five Years With The White Man

This is the true story of the greatest Black Briton you’ve never heard of.

ABC Merriman-Labor is an African satirist, whose dreams of becoming the greatest writer of his generation lead him on a defiant journey to the ‘horrifying heart of whiteness’: Edwardian London. Here, he wrestles with romantic ruin, financial catastrophe and severe writers’ block to compose the first ethnographic account of the White Man ever attempted. But when details of his intimate friendship with John Roberts spark rumours back in Freetown, he is faced with an impossible choice: exposure or oblivion.

This charismatic one-performer show features a kaleidoscope of characters, brought to life through object puppetry and live sound-effects. Blending an Edwardian stand-up set with a contemporary exploration of racial and sexual identity, ‘Five Years with the White Man’ is a tragicomic celebration of a long-forgotten figure, who defied the bigotry of empire.