★★★★★
The title of Choo Choo! is followed by several starred out words, the meaning of which become apparent in the show’s clever conclusion. But before we got there, we had an hour full of humour, heartfelt fun, and the best portrayal of OCD I’ve ever seen in a theatre production.
Co-written and performed by Nye Russell-Thompson and Duncan Hallis, who had a brilliant chemistry throughout. Choo Choo! helps to unpack the all too brutal reality of living with OCD on a daily basis. As someone who has been diagnosed with the condition for sixteen years, I found it so refreshing to see intrusive thoughts actually explained and explored (in this case, the fear of hurting your loved ones). OCD is so much more complex than ‘being neat’ and it is definitely not a quirky personality trait.
“I can just about squish these thoughts down when I’m in my house” and other poignant lines like these, landed amidst mad-cap imaginary scenarios, aided by radio noises and music.
You could also tell straight away that the show had been built with accessibility at its core, and it was masterfully weaved through out. From building the initial audio description of the character’s appearance into the opening song to offering the audience “leave me alone” badges if they didn’t want to join in with the audience participation.
I really loved that BSL interpreter, Laura, was brought into the show’s narrative several times and her performance throughout was humorous and brilliant!
Every single performance of Choo Choo! is BSL interpreted and audio described, and I hope that many other companies will get the essential support needed to be able put this in place in the future. It needs to be standard across the Fringe. A surprisingly powerful piece. Everyone should go to see this show to gain the much-needed understanding and empathy for OCD that is so sorely lacking in our current society.
Review by Laura Crow
