12 million people in Britain have some sort of disability, both visible and invisible. The National Theatre describes Francesca Martinez’s All of Us as “a passionate, unflinching insight into the human cost to society’s narrow view of normality.”
Martinez, comedian, author, actor, has cerebral palsy but prefers to describe herself as wobbly. Her debut play asks society and the government in particular to treat people in a more compassionate and human way.
The play, which lasts 3 hours and feels like a documentary, observes the impact of austerity and the cuts to the welfare system on disabled people. Ian Rickson directs in the round and there is a small revolve in the middle of the stage which keeps things moving in the intimate one-to-one therapy scenes.
Martinez plays the leading character, Jess, a therapist, who has cerebral palsy and cannot bath, dress and feed herself without help. Personal Independent Payment declares she is not disabled enough to warrant a motobility car and takes it away from her. This means she can longer go to work and do her job. Jess is nice, very nice, too nice to ask for the help that she is in denial she needs.
The other character which makes a big impact is Polly, who drives around in a motorised wheelchair. She cannot dress and undress herself or go to the toilet on her own. She has lost her night carer and that means she has to go to bed at 9 o’clock and remain there till a day carer comes ten hours later.
One of the major problems is that there are not enough carers and that the carers are overworked and cannot do their job properly in the time allotted
Polly unlike Jess, rages loudly. She’s a woozy floozie, a loudmouthed bitch. She has two amazing contrasting scenes: one in which she is very much in control and has sex with a very big man; the other when a friend undresses her like a child and puts her to bed with a nappy. Francesca Mills, who plays Polly, will be in the running for the Best Supporting Actress Award.
Things get more political and anti-government in the second act, which opens with a public debate with an evasive MP. Actors are planted amongst the audience.
My guess is that All of Us will have a life beyond the National Theatre on television where it will benefit from cutting and editing. Certainly, a brutal confrontation between disabled demonstrators and the police will be even more shocking on TV with newsreel footage.
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