This comment, albeit tongue in cheek, from someone who watched the Myrtle Theatre Company’s performance of Up Down Boy, reflects some of the appeal of a play praised for both being honest, amusing and uplifting.
The central character, Matty, is played by Nathan Bessell, the playwright Sue Shield’s son. Shield’s semi-autobiographical story, about the peaks and troughs of bringing up her child, aims to present a real picture of parenting a young person with a learning disability.
Originally performed at Bristol’s Tobacco Factory Theatre, Up Down Boy is on national tour from September to November, starting with a relaxed performance at The Shed at the National Theatre tomorrow.
The premise is that Matty’s imminent departure for college sparks mixed emotions in his mother: “You’ve got to stop living on Planet Matty. You’re going away. You’re going to have to live in the real world”
As Shields has said: “The day we were told our son had Down’s syndrome we felt like the bottom had dropped from our world. I have now found from my own experiences that having a child with special needs gets you straight to the back of the queue, and that the special needs are often blatantly ignored. I found then that I had a choice – sink or swim. Stand up and fight for what I believed to be rightfully his or stay at the back of that line and accept what was handed out to him. I think too much of him to let this happen.”
For more information and tickets, see The Shed website.
What a pity I missed this production, I don’t know how it passed me by. Someone in Down Syndrome org mentioned it so I found this interesting review. I hope the Shed runs it again or maybe I can catch it at another London run. Sounds like a fascinating subject.