The dire situation of the country’s ability to assist people who have disabilities needs addressing, and the Birds of Paradise (BOP) admirably uses dark comedy to probe the difficulties with the current system. BOP is Scotland’s leading touring company employing disabled and non-disabled actors in its work to impact on disability and diversity issues.
Chris, on crutches and going blind, has had her disability benefits frozen and is now in debt. She is about to be interviewed by a benefits assessor in her small flat. She spreads clothes around the floor, takes off her makeup and rumples her hair in an attempt to make her flat and herself look more unkempt. She knows she is on trial.
We are in the realm of ‘Accessible Britain’ in 2037 when devices available for disabled people are calculated to get them off benefits. The satire is that the interviewer is there not to see how many benefit she qualifies for, but how ‘abled’ she is by the high-tech devices so she can go back to work, no matter what pain she is in.
Her interviewer, Ralph, has a series of non-negotiable questions to see if she is ‘worthy’ of benefits or fit for work. ‘Work Pays’, he explains as he places a lie detector on her fingers to make sure she tells the truth, while suggesting disabled interviewees are ‘experts at gaming the system’. On the table sits ‘Able’, a machine like Alexia, which is supposed to be helping her. It is there to explain to her what is going on, but gives the game away when it blurts ‘walking 15% slower than usual’ as she slows her pace and says she cannot make a cup of tea. Ralph awards her points – over 10 and she is deemed fit for work. Slowly her points rise as he awards points for resilience, mobility, independence and even for cracking a joke. She threatens suicide if forced to work full-time. She comes to realise how far she is prepared to go to beat the system and survive.
The second half bounced into action with a far more exciting surreal and ultimately heart-breaking sequence where her disability machines come to life, and the characters face the consequence of her interrogation. ‘Welcome to my world’, she says.
The cast put tremendous energy into their performances with Richard Conlon as ‘Able’ in human form providing extra comedy. The set lighting was wonderfully used as it changed from providing a soporific sense that all is well, to flashing in anger and producing warnings. The show is supported by Signing Lady and surtitles above the stage.
Playwright: Rob Drummond
Cast: Gillian Dean, Richard Conlon, Neil John Gibson, Emery Hunter, Nicola Chegwin
Director: Robert Softley Gale
Lighting Designer: Grant Anderson
Running Time: 2 hours including 20 min interval
Performance Dates: until 6th April 2024, then touring