Gone Too Far
Bola Agbaje’s Olivier Award-winning remarkable debut GONE TOO FAR! returns to the London stage in 2023 for the first time since becoming a GCSE set text.
When two brothers from different continents go down the street to buy a pint of milk, they lift the lid on a disunited nation; a world where everyone wants to be an individual, but no one wants to stand out from the crowd, and where respect is always demanded but rarely freely given.
Agbaje’s comic and vibrant drama examining identity and heritage is the first co-production between Theatre Royal Stratford East and the National Youth Theatre. Directed with wit and energy by Monique Touko (The Clinic, Almeida Theatre) who recently won Best Director at The Stage Debut Awards 2022 for Malindadzimu at the Hampstead Theatre.
Starring some of Britain’s best young talent from the illustrious NYT REP Company in its 10th anniversary season, the production follows the NYT’s collaboration with Agbaje on Bitches at the Finborough Theatre in 2016. Gone Too Far!’s premiere at the Royal Court Theatre in 2007 starred NYT Patron and alumnus Zawe Ashton. It was adapted for the big screen to critical acclaim in 2013.
Reviews
★★★★★ ‘Memorable work, this play is a must see, reflecting on very current topics related to a globalized work and its very palpable consequences.’
★★★★ ‘The cast from the National Youth Theatre is vibrant and bursting with raw talent. There are plenty of laughs in between some powerful and emotional scenes as they navigate the diasporic streets of Peckham.’
★★★★ ‘The play shows us a Britain that we may have lived all our lives in and yet been unaware of. The audience is engaged with the show all the way through, inhaling sharply at the various racist aggressions, laughing at the ridiculousness of some of the characters, chuckling in understanding at some of the references and jumping to their feet to give a standing ovation at the end.’
★★★★ ‘A must see for young theatre goers.’
★★★★ ‘Directed by Monique Touko, the narrative maintains an engaging and well-established pacing that speeds up with precise and adequate progression.’
★★★ ‘With the help of Touko’s punchy direction, the humour in the play is instinctive and crackles. All of it is raw and exciting – we can look forward to what the stars of this young company do next.’