‘Though it explores an important subject matter, the show’s commitment to education is also its vice.’
‘ADHD? WTF is ADHD!’, written by Gail Louw with direct inspiration from the life experiences of her friend Louise Comb, had its world premiere at the Playground Theatre on 12th August. The solo show chronicles the experiences of a fictionalised Louise, who received an ADHD diagnosis in her early 60s. As the play unfolds, Louise re-contextualises key life experiences, evaluating her flaws and misgivings through the lens of her newly discovered neurodivergence.
Performed by Emma Wilkinson Wright and directed by Anthony Shrubsall, the play combines confessional poetry, stand up comedy and projection not only to tell Louise’s story, but to explore the key facets of the disorder, and in doing so, debunk some myths.
Louw’s script was compelling in its simplicity; Louise’s character divulges her innermost thoughts and daily struggles with ADHD. From time blindness, difficulty completing tasks and emotional dysregulation, the debilitating nature of Louise’s struggles are clear. What is most striking is the portrayal of her inner emotional struggles, with witty one-liners nestled in-between hard-hitting confessions. Louise’s detailing of her struggles with insecurity and depression were moving, shining an important, nuanced light on a subject that has gained increasing popularity, but still lacks widespread understanding.
What was missing from the piece was the tension and conflict that makes a piece of theatre really sizzle. Louise’s character, performed impressively by Wilkinson Wright, provided a real sense of intimacy and vulnerability as she narrated her experiences with different aspects of ADHD. This meant, however, that each issue did not have a lot of room to breathe, and at times it felt as if we were being talked at rather than being let into Louise’s inner world. Though punctuated with poetry and projection, it was unclear what these creative choices substantially added to the story, and at points they felt unnecessary. Though we always trusted Wilkinson Wright’s performance, her earnestness meant that there was little complexity or room for the audience to come to their own conclusions.
The play revealed the trap of the inspired-by-real-events solo show, a form often utilised in fringe theatre for its economic efficiency; theatricality is somewhat abandoned in favour of confessional, diary-like divulgence. The play was at its strongest when the subtext and stagecraft was doing some of the work, with visual metaphor and distortion of the audio to show Louise’s inner world. The glimmers of emotional turmoil in Louise’s eyes, where we see the outbursts instead of hearing about them, were where we learned the most about what ADHD can be like.
The play posed some strong themes. Seeing an older woman effectively experience a second coming-of-age, feeling validated and awake for the first time, is resonant and important to tell. However, the show’s commitment to education is also its vice, as the script over-relies on the words of Louw and Comb, and only scratches the surface of what they could show us about the experiential nature of the disorder, rather than tell us.