The Plague Thing is a short monologue written and directed by Maria Kelson and performed by Carol Hudson with dignified resignation. During the initial stage of lockdown, it was occasionally remarked that elderly people who were most at risk were blasé about infection having, in their lives, survived wars and recessions.
Enid has her own reasons for being sceptical about the risk of infection. Suffering from the onset of dementia, Enid stoically faces up to the coronavirus which she refers to as ‘the plague thing’. For her, this is just one more irritating development confirming the conspiracy theories in which she believes. Daily visits from an unrecognised woman claiming to be her daughter have ceased since lockdown began, proving she was a fraud.
Kelson’s script, mourning the loss of communal activities after the imposition of lockdown, will resonate with theatregoers who are desperate for the reintroduction of live theatre. Whether audiences will share Enid’s wistful if reckless suggestion as to how far she would go for a bit of company is another matter.