More people with African heritage practise the Christian faith than some in the West would expect, and this is true for both Catholic and Protestant churches. Such was the upbringing Kofi (Quaz Degraft) experienced. After graduating with what is known in America as a ‘college degree’, he bagged a job in corporate finance, which effectively meant a Faustian pact of sorts, though he wasn’t to know that at the time. He’ll be well paid, but there’s the ridiculous hours, the misogyny and the far from ethical business practices, together with the expectation that Kofi will shut the hell up about any wrongdoing he may have seen. Nobody’s perfect, right?
Experiences in his (even) younger days serve a specific narrative purpose here, particularly the story about getting to ride in an expensive car with an ostensibly fearless friend. Having tasted the high life, it continued to appeal to him into adulthood. The American Dream was alive and well. Quite how he ends up in an orange prison jumpsuit, having been a promising upstart well-liked by the CEO of his company, is all explained.
Kofi also had a disciplinarian (but not abusive) traditionalist father to contend with. The father was keen for his son to pass his ‘CPA Exam’, a sixteen-hour exam in four sections (for obvious reasons, a maximum of two sections can be taken on a given day), taken by those who want to become Certified Public Accountants in the USA. Naturally and arguably predictably, the son has different ideas to the father…
When Kofi is a witness to a crime against the person – in the workplace, no less – the stakes are high. Speak up, and say goodbye to his career path. Tow the party line and he’ll have the incident on his conscience, even though he himself didn’t do anything wrong, in perpetuity. Degraft himself, he told the audience in a postscript, left a job in finance to take up acting – and it was evident through such a convincing performance that he’s found a vocation he enjoys. A thoughtful and engaging piece of theatre with a gripping storyline.
Review by Chris Omaweng
Every wolf starts as a cub… some just have to claw their way up.
In The Black is a gripping, darkly comedic solo play about the hidden cost of upward mobility. It follows Kofi, an ambitious young Black accountant navigating the ruthless world of Wall Street. Torn between love, identity and the relentless pursuit of success, Kofi must navigate a system that was never built for him where ambition is currency, power is everything and integrity comes at a cost.
A first-generation Ghanaian American raised on discipline, faith and the promise of stability, Kofi has done everything right. But when he steps into the high-stakes machinery of corporate finance, he discovers that success isn’t just about talent.
Written and performed by Quaz Degraft
Directed by Abigail Onwunali
IN THE BLACK
Underbelly Bristo Square at the Edinburgh Fringe
5 to 31 August 2026
