“An insightful play about the struggles of keeping people united”
Suitable for ages 16+.
Asbo Bozo is a thought-provoking one-woman play about community in all its forms. We follow a woman as she navigates her professional life as an Antisocial Behaviour Officer, trying to solve the problems reported by the local residents, and her personal life as a woman who’s just turned 30 to the excitement of absolutely nobody. Despite life’s stresses, she is determined to keep people together.
Solo shows are tough as hell – the heavy responsibility of keeping the audience engaged falls on the performer’s shoulders. Well, writer-performer Georgina Duncan is fantastic in this play! Her emotions feel truthful, expressed through frantic lines and palpable microexpressions. She has a brilliant sense of comic timing and her stage presence is electric; the whole time, I couldn’t take my eyes off her! Although some of the characters are portrayed via voiceover, it is Duncan’s responses to these voices that really bring them to life. Asbo Bozo is a show with integrity and soul, because Duncan does not hold back. She wears her heart on her sleeve, passionate about telling the stories of those who are often dismissed.
Duncan also confidently utilises the set design to convey the story’s locations. We initially only see a table and a revolving chair on the far left of the stage. However, her ability to change her entire body language is crucial for immersing us in each scene, whether it takes place in the drab chill of an office cubicle or the slight sweat settling on your body just outside a nightclub. Just as Antisocial Behaviour Officers must be empathetic towards the people with whom they interact, Asbo Bozo requires an empathetic audience. Duncan successfully evokes within us all the emotions.
My only issue with Asbo Bozo is a storyline that seems to end quite abruptly. For her 30th birthday, the protagonist meets an old friend with whom her relationship is quite strained. Though Duncan’s amazing performance gives us a sense of this friend’s personality, there seem to be only two or three scenes involving the character – after that, we never really hear about her again. Other than this, however, Duncan still shows us the stories of those who truly matter, which makes Asbo Bozo a brilliant viewing experience overall.
In a society that is overt in its hatred for working-class people, and those at risk of falling into poverty or becoming involved in crimes, Asbo Bozo is a step towards destigmatising the disadvantaged. Theatre is seen as an entertainment hub of the rich, but it is also the medium through which the stories of those on the fringes are told. The protagonist, through all her anxieties, fights for her community, and so must we all.
Kudos to all involved!