"This controversial and captivating play takes racism by the balls and shoves it into the spotlight"
The Voice

"brilliantly judged... it's a well-chosen piece of theatre, made effective by such sharp execution"
Time Out - Critics' Choice

"Rarely has this confrontational, disturbingly funny exploration of race in Britain seemed so pertinent"
The Times - Benedict Nightingale's 5 best London shows

"This Hastings' one-man play is everything that fringe theatre should be; thought provoking, challenging and provocative but never at the expense of its duty to entertain"
AOL Theatreworld Internet Magazine

The Voice
Race, identity, displacement, and other related issues are given a thourough examination in Michael Hastings' Full Frontal, a politically confrontational play that explores racism in a very direct manner.
         
Full Frontal is a rhetorical tragi-comedy that places the thornier isuues of race under scrutiny vi the plot's central character Gabriel Nkoke, who is brilliantly portrayed by Tunde Euba. Gabriel is a Nigerian-born Brit, who strangely wants to join the British National Party. Through this bizarre twist and Gabriel's soliloquies, the audience is presented with a challenging commentary on racism, prejudice, and the negative aspects of political correctness. It also questions whether the words 'black' and 'British' can successfully co-exist.
          
Throughout his exceptional performance as Gabriel, Tunde Euba skilfully weaves his way through a variety of other characters with energetic zest. His caricature impersonations of Gabriel's cockney girlfriend Janine and various civil servants are comical.
           
Bizarre as it seems, the play's theme of a black man wanting to join a racist group is something that has occurred in reality. In some commentary provided for Full Frontal Theatre, the play's producers, Kate Taylor, from the Anti-Fascist magazine Searchlight mentions that, "the neo fascist Front Nationale France has had both black and Jewish branches in the past, despite promoting an exclusionary stance".
          
This controversial and captivating play takes racism by the balls and shoves it into the spotlight
Sandra Brobbey - 3rd December 2001

Time Out - Critics' Choice
It seems like a sick joke to write a play centring on a black man's attempt to join the BNP, but Michael Hastings' powerful one-man show has factual precedents. European fascist groups have had black and Jewish branches and the BNP has set up an Ethnic Liason committee headed by a half-Turkish man. Hastings' combative piece, however, is not interested in how those political parties organise themselves to einclude' ethnic groups. He uses the premise instead to show how the levels of racism in society can drive a black man to turn to an extreme and absurd position.
       
Gabriel Nkoke, a Nigerian immigrant played by Tunde Euba, visits the BNP office to find out why he hasn't received his memebership card, although he has paid his £7.50 joining fee. Euba's well-paced performance makes the most of the script and he convincingly conjures his invisible interlocutor - a belligerent and bigoted BNP representative - so that we almost feel his presence.         
Nkoke explains his reasons for wanting to join the BNP, saying that the country is in a mess, while simultaneously recounting his experience of racial prejudice: the racist practices of his work colleagues and fellow union members, the over-liberal social services, the police, his relationship with his white girlfriend Janine which seems to be based on her sexual preference for black men.
         
The sometimes subtle, sometimes comic story that builds to anger requires masterful acting and finds it in Euba's performance - he mixes mime and action with brilliantly judged intonation. Ben Evans' assertive direction, which has Euba fully engaing with the audience, ensures the piece offers much more theatre than the average monologue. In the current climate, with recent race riots and the new media-savvy BNP gaining worrying support, it's a well-chosen piece of theatre, made very effective by such sharp execution.
Mark Espiner - 28th November 2001

The Times - Benedict Nightingale's best five London shows
"What I want is to join them. Then they can't say I'm not on their side", says Gabriel Nkoke, a Nigerian man raised in Britain who applies for membership of the British National Party in Michael Hastings' play. Rarely has this confrontational, disturbingly funny exploration of race in Britain seemed so pertinent. Full Frontal Theatre presents a version of the play that has been reworked by Hastings with the recent riots in Oldham and Bradford in mind.
Ed Potton - 10th November 2001

AOL Theatreworld Internet Magazine
Michael Hastings' FULL FRONTAL is a black comedy about a Nigerian, Gabriel Nkoke, who wants to join the British National Party. This confrontational but highly entertaining play has recently been revised by Hastings (the recipient of an Emmy and a BAFTA, best known for his screenplay TOM & VIV) to take into account the recent riots in Oldham and Leeds.
         
With minimal set and props Tunde Euba, an award winning soap star in Nigeria (Akpan in CHECKMATE), fills the stage with his passionate and skilful portrayal of Nkoke, a white collar Nigerian who wants to return to Nigeria once the political situation has calmed down. Although this is a one-act play it divides naturally into two parts. In the first part of the play Nkoke, having made his way inside the BNP's offices, desperately tries to convince the BNP that he is serious about wanting to join their party. He proceeds to justify his desire with an impassioned speech against Jamaicans and Jews, which, although humorous, is too near to the frightening truth to produce belly laughs. The second part begins on the street after Nkoke has been rejected by the party.
       
Once back on the street Nkoke starts to reminisce about the county and life he left behind in order to come to England. He talks fondly of village life and a career that he loved. Then we learn about the hardships and racism he has had to endure since living in England and about his baby and his relationship with a white woman, his son's mother. Nkoke's anger gives way to sadness as he unravels a personal tragedy and we start to understand the emotions that lie behind his views on race. The central message of this play seems to be that racism has little to do with hating others and much more to do with hating yourself.
         
This Hastings' one-man play is everything that fringe theatre should be; thought provoking, challenging and provocative but never at the expense of it's duty to entertain. This is a demanding play but skilful direction and a passionate performance ensure maximum impact.
Sarah Monaghan - 29th November 2001

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