''Full Frontal'' is a one-man,

one-act play A one-act play is a play that has only one act, as distinct from plays that occur over several acts. One-act plays may consist of one or more scenes. The 20-40 minute play has emerged as a popular subgenre of the one-act play, especially in writ ...

by English writer Michael Hastings. It premièred at the

Royal Court Theatre Upstairs The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a non-commercial West End theatre in Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, Englan ...

in 1979 with

Winston Ntshona Winston Ntshona (6 October 1941 – 2 August 2018) was a South African playwright and actor. He won a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play in 1975. Biography Born in Port Elizabeth, Zola Winston Ntshona worked alongside fellow South African A ...

performing and Rufus Collins directing, and was revised by the author for a production at

Ovalhouse Ovalhouse, formerly called Oval House Theatre, was an Off-West End theatre in the London Borough of Lambeth, located at 52–54 Kennington Oval, London, SE11 5SW. It closed in 2020, and moved to Brixton, becoming the Brixton House theatre (locate ...

in 2001.

Plot

The play is a

monologue In theatre, a monologue (from el, μονόλογος, from μόνος ''mónos'', "alone, solitary" and λόγος ''lógos'', "speech") is a speech presented by a single character, most often to express their thoughts aloud, though sometimes a ...

by Gabriel Nkoke - a man born in

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of G ...

but raised almost all his life in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

, "the new type of man. I'm neither here. Nor neither there" - delivered to an unseen representative of the National Front, which Gabriel is at first seen trying to join because he agrees with their racialist agenda.

Critical reception

The play was received favourably by critics and described as " Swiftian".Alan Strachan
"Michael Hastings: Writer best known for 'Tom and Viv'" (obituary)
''The Independent'', 30 November 2011.

Notes

References

* ''Plays and Players, Issue 2, Issue 26.'' Hansom Books, 1979. * ''The Listener, Volume 101.'' British Broadcasting Corporation, 1979. * ''Race Today.'' Institute of Race Relations, 1981. 1979 plays English plays Plays set in England One-act plays Monodrama Plays about race and ethnicity {{1970s-play-stub