Writer: Michaela Coel
Director: Anthony Simpson-Pike
It’s not hard to see why Chewing Gum Dreams sold out before even its first show in this revival at Theatre 503. Except for a few references to pop socks, Craig David, and So Solid Crew, Michaela Coel’s play from 2012 hasn’t aged at all in its discussions of teenage sex and friendships. In what is already an excellently written piece, Lauryn Ajufo’s incredible performance as 14-year-old Tracey lifts Chewing Gum Dreams even higher.
Indeed, Ajufo is so strong in this one-woman play that it seems impossible that another actor could ever play the cheeky Black schoolgirl who naively believes she’s streetwise. Tracey certainly has an answer to every question she’s asked, and she tosses out insults to everyone, particularly to her cousin Serafina, whose teeth point “into different postcodes”. She takes the brunt of Tracey’s put-downs, most of which are too nasty to repeat here.
Underneath her tough exterior, Tracey is an innocent. She’s clueless about sex; she doesn’t really grasp the mechanics of sexual intercourse or the exact location of conception. But as her best friend Candice is having sex (with a man 10 years older), Tracey begins flirting with a boy at school. Her attempts at seduction are hilarious, a jumble of swagger, nonchalance and desperation. She’s lucky that he’s a decent lad, although his parents don’t approve.
With only a few details about Tracey’s family, Cole’s play takes place in the microcosm of the classroom, the bus and the bedroom, where every look or word is freighted with meaning. Ajufo throws herself around Yimei Zhao’s impressive set, half playground, half prison cell, capturing that liminal space between childhood and adulthood. Ajufo completely embodies Tracey, so compelling is her performance.
After its debut in the Yard Theatre in 2012, Chewing Gum Dreams was presented at the Bush and the National Theatre and then was turned into a TV show for E4. Cole then went on to write I May Destroy You for HBO and the BBC. This year she has starred in two films, The Christophers with Ian McKellen and the criminally underrated Mother Mary, co-starring with Anne Hathaway. This revival of her debut, with a poignant sound design from Xana and clever lighting from Christopher Nairne, cements Cole’s play as a modern classic. If only it were longer.
Runs until 17 October 2026
