The intimate Riverside Studios was home to Raphael Phillips’ debut play Monkeyface. Upon arrival, I was met with a diverse and buoyant audience, who were taking in the modest set – framing adorned with a sleek, fur coat, funky record sleeves, a pair of rugged skater cut-offs, a fitted, sex symbol t-shirt, and a pink, satin-covered bed.
Writer and performer Phillips took to the stage and confessed the depression and isolation he felt at Oxford University – and the stark reality of fresh starts, which are not always what they promise to be. Using vivid, poetic language and emotive prose, Phillips shared his trauma, through suffocating diary entries, bittersweet monologues and pithy one liners – reminiscent of an Edinburgh Fringe stand up.
Monkeyface showed the complexity and intersectionality of Blackness and Queerness; highlighting the damage, confusion and impact that black, queer boys are confronted with daily, through their social interactions within a western society. Phillips searches for gay, black, joy despite the frequent erasure of his blackness, the adoption of western beauty standards and the fetishisation which occurs within the gay scene.
I was invested in the journey of a young, black, gay man crippled by loneliness and lacking the emotional tools, coping skills and language to navigate his new environment.
Phillips’s portrayal brought my distant 20s into acute focus – why had I moved cities? Why the endless pursuit of trying on different identities? Was it the hope of discovering an identity that would truly fit, be accepted and embraced?
Phillips morphed into his university ‘friends’, depicting their accounts with mercurial dexterity. Alice, the vodka swilling neighbour and self-confessed middle class, trust fund baby. She offers her unsolicited advice, diagnosing him with borderline personality disorder, as he is in the midst of a Menzy B!
Miles and Jack, the gay, white, twink duo, who try to guide and direct Phillips through the turbulent paths of gay life and dating dilemmas. Ultimately using him as a disposable Black Barbie.
Phillips is drowning in thoughts of depression and suicidal ideation – torn and trying to find his own identity in spaces full of white faces. He searches for home, a vibe tribe, and a space of acceptance. He finds Elijah, a kindred spirit, a confidant and cultural counsellor. Elijah impresses upon him that he should find strength within and not look for external validation especially from his so called friends at Oxford.
Depression ensues, Phillips spirals into doom scrolling, day drinking, consuming junk food and smoking weed. His friends are distant and even start stereotyping him as a drug dealer. The emotional toil of these events is well demonstrated, in a standout scene, where Phillips explodes in a tirade, underscored by a monkey chant soundscape.
In trying to find solace through long walks and soul searching, Phillips finally chooses himself. A universal message which is necessary and resonant in today’s comparison Olympics.
Monkeyface is a witty, poignant, and well written piece. Kudos to Mojola Akinyemi, whose direction was precise and well-executed.
NEED TO KNOW: Monkeyface played at Riverside Studios on 22 Jan 2026 | Find out more
