The National Theatre of Scotland in collaboration with Birds of Paradise Theatre Company’s effervescent production of My Left Right Foot – The Musical must surely be one of the musical hits of this year’s Fringe.
The Kirktoon Players are planning their entry for the annual Scottish Amateur Dramatic Association’s competition and they are determined to win this year. They discover that they will get extra credit if they embrace inclusivity into their production.
They decide to produce a stage version of Christy Brown’s autobiography My Left Foot which is about cerebral palsy. The problem is that none of the company are disabled although their handyman, who has CP, is eventually persuaded to take part.
It’s a superb spoof on amateur dramatic societies with a wonderful variety of characters that would easily be recognised and are delightfully realised.
The impressive, highly talented cast sing, dance and perform with such energy and commitment it is a sheer joy to watch their performances.
They have cleverly included a BSL interpreter integrated as a character in the show and the use of captioning and effects adds a fun dimension.
The music by Scott Gilmour and Claire McKenzie sparkles with wit and parody from a satirical take on “Electricity” from Billy Elliot in“Spasticity” to a powerful ballad “On The Outside” and a take on Andrew Lloyd Webber’s style with “The Show is Fucked”.
This is an outstanding production that also explores the assumptions that able-bodied people have of the disabled in a glorious production. Fight for a ticket—it’s a must-see show.