Something a bit different, at least in terms of format. For the section before the interval Mark Thomas emerged without fanfare, sat in a chair centre stage, and chatted to the audience, as himself. He explained how he first met the writer (Ed Edwards) of the play we were about to see, and the origins of the play itself. An important element of their working relationship is that both work with addicts at a centre in Manchester, teaching them drama and giving them the means to express themselves in a more literate fashion than they might have managed previously. Thomas being Thomas, this comes complete with impressions of the people he worked with, and was hilarious. But also gave a flavour of what it's like to be a recovering addict.
The play itself follows, where Thomas plays the 'son' of the title, as well as myriad other characters as they crop up. It's an often moving portrayal of an abusive childhood, and how the lack of self-worth that engenders that can feed into addiction and repetition of the cycle. The action is set during the eighties, where the actions of the Thatcher regime resulted in mass unemployment, the growth of the black economy, and an exponential increase in drugs use.
That Thomas' character is surnamed England, in the eponymous country that was in such great social decline, seems a heavy handed way of hammering home the metaphor we're presented with. But the script largely avoids a swerve into didacticism, and generates sympathy for 'son', very much the victim. It helps greatly that Thomas is the performer, with his trademark high energy, motormouthing style, his ability to improvise interactions with the audience, and deliver laugh upon laugh, yet still wring the pathos from the character's sodden lifestyle.
Hugely entertaining, and makes it's point well. Definitely worth seein
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