THOUGH his early years in McIntyre Villa were rough, Stefhen Bryan visits the east Kingston community commonly known as Dunkirk whenever he is in Jamaica.

His time in Dunkirk inspired Doodu Boy, the one-man play which makes its Jamaican debut this evening at 8:00 with a media show at the Theatre Place in St Andrew.

Bryan’s life in Dunkirk which he describes as ‘treacherous’ is recalled in the first Act of Doodu Boy.

“It’s a homecoming of sorts, the show is about me and my experiences as a child in Jamaica,” he said. “I hate to sound cliche but it’s a way of giving back to inner-city kids because I was one of them.”

Bryan, who turns 51 this year, migrated to the United States at age 15. He has lived in Japan since 2011.

Act two and Act three of Doodu Boy reflect on his time in those countries. He credits his Japanese experience for transforming his life from ‘one almshouse to another’ to ‘one of extreme optimism’.

Living in Japan also influenced him to write the book, Black Passenger, Yellow Cab, published in 2009.

That ‘erotic memoir’ so impressed Debra Ehrhardt, a Jamaican whose early years in Jamaica inspired her one-woman play, Jamaica Farewell.

Bryan said Ehrhardt encouraged him to write a play about his life which he reluctantly did. Doodu Boy opened in Los Angeles in January of last year.

To date, Bryan has done 39 shows, with additional dates in San Francisco, New York City and Tokyo.

No matter the country, he points to Doodu Boy’s ‘universal message’ having a bearing on audiences.

“It’s the story of a boy who is rejected but eventually finds a rebirth in Japan. Its a message of hope.”

Doodu Boy will also play June 9-14 at the Theatre Place.

— Howard Campbell