Chewing Gum Dreams (Oberon Modern Plays)

(Seen at the National Theatre London, 20 March 2014)"He's got really big ambitions, wants to go Uni and that, he says there's cracks in the floor 'n I should aim higher before I find myself stuck in dem."Cracks in the floor."I tell him them cracks were made for me, they were made for my mum, and her mum and relaxin' into them is what we do best. I ain't smart enough to be someone I'm just smart enough to know I'm no one."Tracey Gordon is a 14 year old black girl living in Hackney, a diverse working class neighborhood in North London. She is defiant, foul-mouthed and loud, the kind of teenager that most adults riding a bus or subway would shake their head at or would avoid or move away from.She is a poor student, who is failing Maths and barely getting by in English. She had dreams of what she could become when she was younger, but she "murdered every one." Her best friend and classmate is Candace, an attractive mixed race girl who is 'love' with a older abusive man, and Tracey herself has eyes for Aaron, a white classmate with soulful blue eyes who also comes from a broken home yet dreams of being a writer.Tracey is a typical wayward teenager, obsessed with music, boys, and sex, who is incapable of foreseeing the consequences of her actions or planning for the future. Just nderneath the tough inner city persona lies a tender and vulnerable child who desires to be loved and respected, and has a deep sense of right and wrong and of loyalty to Candace and Aaron.'Chewing Gum Dreams', the winner of the 2012 Alfred Fagon Award, was written and performed by Michaela Coel, who grew up in Hackney. Her 45 minute one woman performance, in front of a packed crowd in The Shed, the temporary space for new plays in front of the National Theatre, was completely captivating, as the audience laughed and occasionally cringed at her ribald comments, tried to keep up with her as she ran madly around the stage, and shared her pain and grief at the conclusion. Unlike the last one person performance I saw on stage the minutes in this play flew by, and I was disappointed to see this splendid performance end as soon as it did. Bravo to Ms Coel for her acting skills and for writing an award winning play that was both entertaining and thought provoking, and to the start of a promising career on stage.

Michaela is brilliant. This story is a bit far from Chewing Gum the show (so if you’re looking to read that you’ll need to go through her Twitter where she posted the chewing gum show bible with all of the scripts and notes) it was an interesting read, but I enjoyed it.

It was a fast read, I hoped there would be more of it; hence the concise character development. It ended just as I was starting to get into it.At several points, some actions seemed abrupt, too fast and not insinuated.Other than that, it is an interesting point of view and mindset, would definitely give something similar another try.

GREAT play and a delightful series. I want to read more from Michaela Coel.

Love this edition in comparison to the TV series. I did watch the series first and decided to gain more insight into the synopsis hence buying this book. It's short and sweet but packed full of detail within the limited txt. I dare say if it were any longer it oeudl take away the star quality of Michaela Coles writing. A win win for me, don't regret spending money on it AT ALL. Love every part of it and everytime I read it I can imagine a different scenario. Awesome comical read!Michaela...your a legend!

I saw the TV series before reading the play and I wish I'd read this first. I'm glad the series changed a few things but there are some moments I wish had remained. I did not find the play as fulfilling as I'd anticipated. But it has some lovely monologues.

Loved it. This was the original inspiration behind the E4 series Chewing Gum, and the monologue here is in turns funny, moving and thought provoking. The characters really come to life & are vivid, and the whole piece is written in a unique voice. Wonderful!

NB this is a very short play!

A wonderful play! I saw it at the National Theatre and it blew me away. Michaela Cole is a superb writer and an engaging performer. There are some great monologues in this play for young actresses.