CountryBoy’s Struggle grabbed my attention from the pre-set onwards and firmly held my interest through the absorbing and accomplished performance of Maxwell Golden, which combines sharply delivered multiple characters, imaginative use of physicality, and, of course, a big dash of rap. Golden plays ‘Michael’, the titular Country Boy and affable geek, and the piece is directed by Contact Theatre’s artistic director Baba Israel, himself a hip hop artist from New York. Hailing from Bude in Cornwall, Michael’s unlikely aspiration is to make it in the hip hop world (despite largely rapping about dogs, and going to the seaside!).

We follow a narrative from Michael’s birth to his eventual integration into London’s hip hop community, peppered with hilarious anecdotes and re-enactments of key points along the way, all executed with breathtaking focus and attention to detail. Every movement and moment is well considered and faultlessly slick. Relatively simple staging comprising of simple rostra and treads functions well to drive the narrative on, and is used by Golden as the platform for multiple imaginary destinations including a night club stage scattered with a truly believable and delightfully varied cast of hip hop MCs.

Israel and Golden use audience interaction to good effect with a call and response style that quickly gets us on side and encourages us to root for this underdog and his unlikely dream.  Underlying this too is a sense of sadness, as we learn that Michael has an alcoholic and seemingly unsupportive father and a deceased mother – the impetus that drives him further to succeed.

There is plenty in this show to appeal to a wide audience (even for someone such as myself, not exactly au fait with the hip hop scene!): effective use of humour, well-channelled energy, and the sheer vitality of the performer in particular, are supported by a strong and very well-structured narrative and a character that one cannot help but wish to succeed.