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Searching undeterred: The Gift @ParkTheatre

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I recently had a few parcels go missing from where I live. The first parcel disappeared without a trace. The second parcel's contents were removed, and the box was left alone in the lobby. It's one of the things that you have to put up with living in central London. Apart from complaining to the delivery company and filing a police report, it crossed my mind to think about what would happen if I sent myself something rather unpleasant for a future parcel thief to open up. Well, Dave Florez's new work, The Gift, is in this line of thinking, except that the lead receives an anonymous gift of a turd in the mail rather than sending it to himself. It is lovingly gift-wrapped in a cake box from a posh north London bakery. It's a fascinating and hilarious three-hander currently playing at Park Theatre .  Colin (Nicholas Burns) is a little obsessive at the best of times. He doesn't let things drop quickly and is obsessed with the details behind anything and everythi...

The woke and the trolling: Scrounger @Finborough

Athena Stevens

Athena Stevens takes her experiences with an airline that damaged her wheelchair and refused to pay for a replacement into a sharp and an incisive piece on how discrimination affects disabled people. The incident led to her confinement in her flat in Elephant and Castle for months while she tweeted about the experience and gained media attention. And was called a scrounger by the usual band of internet trolls. It’s currently playing at the Finborough Theatre.

It's an exciting piece of storytelling that puts you in her shoes. Stevens is a detailed storyteller, and she expertly covers the everyday ordeals that people with disabilities face. From the passive aggressive remarks uttered by flight attendants to friends who have trouble thinking that Elephant and Castle is a part of central London. It's all told with humour, warmth and a healthy amount of outrage.

Athena Stevens and Leigh Quinn
While the case was eventually settled, she explains as far as her non-disclosure agreement allows, how people, including liberal-minded theatregoers, are accomplices in disability discrimination. It seems that in the era of woke, it doesn't always translate into woke actions.

She is assisted by Leigh Quinn who plays a series of supporting characters. What emerges is of conflict avoiding able-bodied people, poorly written regulations and general ignorance and indifference.

Adding to the intensity of the story is the inventive use of sound effects from sound designer Julian Starr, and directed by Lily McLeish, the piece moves through events quickly.

You don't need to look far to see disability discrimination in the real world either. The Finborough Theatre no longer has accessible toilets since the Finborough Arms pub (which share the building) ripped them out. There is now a small kitchen serving bog-standard food in their place. Welcome to 2020. No accessibility but plenty of chicken wings and scampi.

Scrounger is at the Finborough Theatre until 1 February. But this is a show that feels like it should have a longer life, either as a transfer or adaptation for television.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️



Photos by Nick Rutter


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