★★★
Nicole Nadler’s fast-paced and funny debut show brings the audience into the story of her adult diagnosis of ADHD, which she first realised she might have after reading an online article during the 2020 lockdown – a moment that made everything click in place for her.
From being an easily distracted child who “just felt really stupid”, Nicole blossoms into a talkative adult who struggles with time-keeping and has a tendency to overshare. The piece is warm and humorous but makes a powerful point about the expectations society still places on young girls and women – don’t be too loud, don’t take up to much space – and highlights why so many of them feel the need to ‘mask’ their neurodivergence just to keep up with these unreasonable demands.
“We are the lazy. We are the forgetful. We are the women who are lost.”
The performance is high energy throughout, making use of sections of incredibly speedy dialogue that tumbles over itself to highlight living with racing thoughts and ideas.
It would be lovely to see this piece developed further into a full length show to allow for some contrasting moments of calm and to expand on some of the topics and ideas mentioned throughout. Nicole has written, performed, produced, and marketed the entire production herself – having never done anything like it before – so it would be wonderful for her – along with other neurodivergent women in theatre, who need resources and representation – to get supported onto the next stage of her journey.
A personal insight into getting an ADHD diagnosis later in life, Why Am I Like This? explores the world of a neurodivergent woman and the many additional barriers they have to face and overcome just to go about their daily life.
Why Am I Like This? is on at TheSpace@Triplex until August 26th
Review by Laura Crow
