Urielle Klein-Mekongo on Music, Resistance, and the Power of Untold Stories
Writer, actress, singer and playwright Urielle Klein-Mekongo is no stranger to blending art with activism. Her new musical Black Power Desk has been making waves with sold-out performances and emotionally charged audience reactions. Ahead of its run at Lowry from 16–18 October, Urielle sat down to share the inspiration behind the show, the historical truths it draws from, and the creative journey that brought it to life.
Black Power Desk has enjoyed sold out shows in London. Tell us about the reactions to the performances so far?
The audiences have been giving this musical so much love and have been extremely vocal and invested in the story. It’s been wonderful to experience their lively reactions. There’s lots of laughter, yes it’s funny too, and there are tears. It’s quite an emotional joy ride and it carries a very important message for everyone. There’s even a plot twist which gets some audience members so enraged that some of them have been booing and cheering out loud and even jumping out of their seats.
Tell us what inspired you to write a musical about this part of our British history and Black Civil rights movement.
I’ve always questioned why we are not taught about Black British history in schools. My own inquisitiveness led me to delve deeper in my own research to unearth those untold stories about Black British activists and the resistance movement in the 70s. The injustices experienced by the Mangrove Nine served as a jumping off point for me to tell a fictionalised story that is still very much rooted in our collective British history. I felt it was also important to honour the stories of other Black British activists and so although Black Power Desk isn’t about any one person or single event, it draws on many truths which I hope will spark important conversations.
Can you tell us a bit about the play's story and the characters?
There’s a cast of six and at its heart Black Power Desk is a story about two sisters, one who’s driven by politics and one who’s driven by love. This all takes place in the backdrop of a 1970s UK Black resistance and it’s about them figuring out where they stand in this resistance whilst also trying to protect and defend their community.
Why a musical? What is it that attracted you to the format?
Music is my first love, and I believe there is power in telling stories through music in a lyrical format. For example Hamilton is a great reference point, but I really wanted the narrative to be about a contemporary subject and one which featured Black British history, unearthing stories that we are not taught about in our own classrooms.
What were your musical influences and who did you bring in to work with you on the lyrics and composition?
Rapperturg and cast member Gerel Falconer, who plays restaurant owner Carlton, has been working on this project with me for over five years to bring it to the stage and more recently Renell Shaw (Rudimental), an Ivor Novello Award winner, who has done a fantastic job with the musical composition. There are 22 songs in the show, a mix of Reggae, Ska, RnB and Soul which will transport audiences back in time, it’s a rich 1970s musical palette layered with contemporary sounds.
My favourite musical influences whilst writing the lyrics was Black Uhuru’s ‘Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner’. That song is so culturally specific to the essence of that time. It’s the song I used as inspiration to get that heavy bass sound we’ve got flowing through those different songs in our show. ‘Papa Was a Rolling Stone’ by The Temptations is the song which inspired one of my biggest duets in the show between the two central characters Celia and Dina who are the two sisters that carry the story.
Do you have any plans for the Black Power Desk after this tour?
I’d love to manifest a West End transfer and another more extensive tour after this one has finished. Thanks to Brixton House, Playwell Productions and venues including Warwick Arts Centre, Lowry in Salford and the Birmingham Hippodrome this musical has now got a life of its own and the reception we’ve had so far has been so positive. I hope audiences in Salford and Manchester will also take it to their hearts.
Black Power Desk runs at Lowry 16 – 18 Oct. Tickets are available now from thelowry.com