REVIEW - A-TYPICAL RAINBOW - TURBINE THEATRE

A-Typical Rainbow is an authentic, much-needed theatrical representation of autism.

JJ Green stars as Boy in his playwriting debut, staged at the Turbine Theatre. The Turbine theatre prides itself on bringing new work to its stage, and here is this play’s world premiere, directed by Bronagh Lagan. William Spencer’s ethereal choreography accompanied by Max Alexander-Taylor’s other-worldly sound designs make for stunning scenes.

The play centres around Boy who is autistic and queer. A-Typical Rainbow takes place in the early 2000s, when, unfortunately, autism was still under researched and misunderstood. Mother (Caroline Deverill) is faced with the heartbreakingly, difficult choice of whether or not to put her son through Applied Behaviour Analysis, a controversial therapy which is said to improve neurodivergent children’s social skills. Although the Doctor insists upon it and essentially bullies Mother into relenting, she can’t help but feel like he shouldn’t have to change – the world should accommodate him instead. I loved how we got to see a lot of her perspective and the unique pressures that mothers of neurodivergent children face.

The show also touches on the toxic masculinity Father (James Westphal) tries to force upon Boy; he takes away his Barbie and unsuccessfully attempts to get him to play football. Scenes like these, as well as the ABA therapy, are very infuriating and made me thankful that we have progressed (albeit there is still very far to go).

A-Typical Rainbow takes us through scenes in Boy’s life; from a child playing with mermaids and picking out pink wellies, to a bad sleepover experience at secondary school, to a young adult falling in love with his fellow circus performer. JJ Green proves a double threat with his beautiful writing and brilliant acting. His side quips are hilarious. Although people who are not autistic will never fully understand, he does a fantastic job explaining, through his actions and verbal explanations, what it is like to be autistic. A-Typical Rainbow shows that there is nothing wrong with being autistic – or queer, or being a boy who likes to play with barbies, or wanting people to say exactly what they mean.

My only gripe with the play is that it became slightly confusing at the end. A series of scenarios were given that ‘should have been’, it felt a little jarring and didn’t really provide a satisfying conclusion to finish the play off nicely. However, this is an incredibly strong playwriting debut.

A-Typical Rainbow is on at the Turbine Theatre until 7 August, so head to beautiful Battersea to see this honest, important and thought-provoking play.

{🎟 AD – PR invite – Tickets were gifted in exchange for an honest review}

A PISSEDMAS CAROL – REVIEW – LEICESTER SQUARE
by Amy Rye
The infamous Sh!t Faced Showtime are back in London with a festive edition, they have taken Dickens’ classic and put a drunken spin on it. The formula is the same as other iterations of the Shi!t Faced shows, one member of the cast has been boozing, and this time it is John Milton who plays Scrooge. Before the show, half a bottle of Jim Beam, some wine, and beer have been consumed in the previous 4 hours. The rest of the cast, try to keep the show on track, also aided by James Murfitt as the compere, Charles Dickens. The … More A PISSEDMAS CAROL – REVIEW – LEICESTER SQUARE
A CHRISTMAS CAROL – REVIEW – ALEXANDRA PALACE
by Ellie Preston
Spine-tingling yet heart-warming, Mark Gatiss’s retelling of A Christmas Carol truly encapsulates the haunting atmosphere of a Victorian ghost story, balanced out with enough humour so as to capture the festive season. Led by Keith Allen as Scrooge, with Peter Forbes as Marley, this show is perfect for Christmas viewing. The set design by Paul Wills is instantly captivating, containing stacks of metal cabinets towering over the theatre, moveable by the cast to allow space for other central props like doors, beds and tables. In addition to this, the puppetry design by Matthew Forbes is incredibly clever, adding creepy elements to the show such … More A CHRISTMAS CAROL – REVIEW – ALEXANDRA PALACE
A WOMAN WALKS INTO A BANK – REVIEW – THEATRE503
by Tom Carrao
The title of this winner of Theatre 503’s 2023 International Playwriting Award by Roxy Cook may seem like the set-up to a joke, but the narrative that unspools is instead an affectionate, gently barbed and at base quite sobering portrait of three ordinary souls (and one restless feline) adrift in modern Moscow. There is much affable, satirical back-and-forth commentary on the accepted myths & stereotypes of the Russian spirit & soul. Beset by the indignities of age, opportunism, graft, fatigue, the characters orbit one another, doomed to play out their roles in an unjust, predatory and saturnine universe. The play opens … More A WOMAN WALKS INTO A BANK – REVIEW – THEATRE503
PETER PAN GOES WRONG – REVIEW – LYRIC THEATRE
by Amy Rye
Peter Pan Goes Wrong first premiered in London at the Pleasance Theatre in 2013, and earlier this year the show made its Broadway debut. Now the production is back in the West End for the Christmas season. Following on from The Play That Goes Wrong, in this production, J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan is staged by the fictitious Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society and goes awry, disastrously so. The meta-comedy is filled with slapstick comedy, sometimes the humour may be predictable and silly, but it’s universally funny throughout – there is something for everyone here, and the laughs come thick and fast … More PETER PAN GOES WRONG – REVIEW – LYRIC THEATRE
GHOST STORIES BY CANDLELIGHT – REVIEW – SAM WANAMAKER PLAYHOUSE
by George Rennie
Drawing heavily from the classic canon of the British supernatural, HighTide’s trio of contemporary Gothic narratives uses traditional storytelling formats to address contemporary themes. Directed by Elayce Ismail, reverent musical interludes accompany tales of apparitions and nighttime conjurings that speak of women from the East of England. Unfortunately, the effect is less chilling and more lightweight, with conventional structures, predictable plot twists and an over-reliance on external forces to drive narrative shoring up some of the less relatable aspects of the genre. Nicola Werenowska’s The Beach House, perhaps the cleanest of the three tales, tells of a mother and daughter’s … More GHOST STORIES BY CANDLELIGHT – REVIEW – SAM WANAMAKER PLAYHOUSE