Johnny Song

Johnny Song dramatizes the misadventures of a street poet and a drummer as they wander the streets of London at night in the early morning hours. They encounter various colourful denizens. Johnny and the Drummer Boy attempt to rouse them with poetry and rhythm. The play combined verse, drumming, larger-than-life characterisation, occasional back-scoring, a wistful belief in the power of poetry.

Extract from Johnny Song, by Jim Kenworth:

O, City of London, mad, up for it, City of London;
Guide me through your twisting alleyways,
Winding streets, roaring traffic and
Mighty, pumping Clubs, Pubs and Bars.
When I am lost, falling down, and starless
In the dark, let me hear a beat calling me;
Let me hear a solid beat like the cavalry,
And, yeah, like the movies, let ’em arrive
In the nick of time.