★ ★ ★
Paul Wady has turned his life into a menu. He has ninety delectable morsels for us to sample, and in a very short period of time we are going to be stuffed to the gills. Paul is autistic, late diagnosed, but always knew he was different.
He brings an unbelievable amount of energy to the small alcove of. Bar 50, his strong voice is commanding. It is, for want of a better term, a theatrical info-dump. His life story takes in his Liverpool routes, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Doctor Who via Quentin Crisp and J.G Ballard. (Special Interests this reviewer all shares – spooky!)
He invites us to ask questions and interact with his frenetic slide-show presentation. His answers are eloquent and authentic. He calls himself a conduit, like John The Baptist.
Paul’s show is an essential resource for anyone who wants to know more about what it is like to be autistic, but also a show of solidarity for other autistics, a coming together.
His stuff on ‘autism tv porn’ – the inspirational, stereotypical portrayals we’ve endured, are called out, and I thought, this could be applied to live theatre and comedy too!
Paul ends on a happy note, with Saga Norén, the autistic lead character of Danish series The Bridge, the tough, hero image who stands up for her difference and takes no shit, a sign of better portrayals of our neurotype, and a hint of a better future.
Guerrilla Autistics Year 8 – Scenes From an Undiagnosed Life. Laughing Horse @ Bar 50 – The Alcove 12:00 (45m). Aug 4 – 19 (free – non ticketed)
