★ ★ ★
The set up of Downs with Love is straight out of the rom-com playbook. Beth falls for Mark, a singer at the local pub. But Mark is already interested in Tracy, Beth’s support worker. Cutting Edge Theatre’s exploration of disability and relationships is well intentioned but sometimes veers off into trying to ‘educate’ the audience.
Abigail Brydon’s Beth is a brilliant embodiment of the rom-com archetype. Cut from the same cloth as Bridget Jones, her portrayal is nuanced and funny, there is an authenticity and depth to her role that makes her compelling to watch. Rachel Amey’s integrated BSL was perfect, adding a ‘best friend’ character that complimented Beth nicely.
The characters of Mark (Calum Barbour) and Tracy (Rachel Still) were less developed, relying more on driving the plot. They also had the habit of spouting the plays message rather than the characters thoughts.
Writer/Director Suzanne Lofthus said she wanted to challenge the idea around relationships between disabled and non-disabled people. I felt Lotfhus was far too constrained in this, we only got a few moments of such a possibility. I actually wanted to see that idea explored rather than just hinted at.
There were times where we had to sit through two non-disabled characters talking at length about what they thought of disabled people. I personally, cannot stand this, it’s insulting. I want to hear what Beth thinks about things far more than characters who already dominate the conversation about our communities.
The play succeeds in being a showcase for Abigail Brydon who helped develop the show with Lofthus. This is the real heart of the play. It’s worth going to see for Brydon’s performance, we hope to see her again and again in more dramatic roles.
This review is written by someone who isn’t from the community they are writing about, we welcome opinion from the Down’s community and happy to publish further comment on this show.
Downs with love is on tour now.
