Cured at Royal Court Liverpool Review
Written by Roby for Theatre and Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review. All views are our own
Cured follows the story of a Scouse pilgrimage to Lourdes, set up by the Catholic Church in attempt to ‘cure’ people with disabilities. The show has a powerful message, exploring ideas about identity, living with a disability, and acceptance. Although it may not be the “holy grail” of theatre, it’s certainly doing the Lord’s work in making the Royal Court much more accessible (pun intended!).
Laurence Clark’s script is inspired by his own experiences as someone who was taken to Lourdes in order to be ‘cured’ when he was a teenager. His writing is excellent; the story is well-thought out, each character is developed well, and the humour throughout is brilliant. Much of the comedy is dry and daring, making for countless laugh-out-loud moments. Some jokes didn’t always land with the entire audience, which was a shame as I thought the comedy throughout was a great strength of this show.
Another strength of this show is Stephen Smith-Taylor as Callum, who delivers the majority of the show’s jokes through his voice synthesiser. Smith-Taylor has a natural charm and great stage presence. It’s worth going to watch this show for his performance alone.
However, it is the show’s accessibility that makes Cured such a unique and bold piece. The show has captions, BSL interpretation (by the fantastic Naomi Gray), and audio description integrated throughout the entire show. Cured will also host the Royal Court’s first ever relaxed performance as part of its run. This is certainly a step in the right direction for the Royal Court, and I hope to see more accessibility in their future productions.
It’s just a shame that all of the show’s audio description is delivered by God (played by JulieMac), who sometimes had me questioning whether she had even attended rehearsals. Various props have JulieMac’s lines hidden in them, which is made quite obvious as she rarely interacts with the audience when using them. The captions also make it obvious that huge segments of lines have been forgotten (although hats off to captions operator Susan Segar who does well to keep up with God - she is the true ‘Saint’ of this show!) When JulieMac does remember her lines, she delivers them well, but too often they’re jumbled and lack flow. This is a shame, as the effect of the audio description throughout is somewhat weakened and scene transitions become awkward.
The design within the show complements the action well. Olivia du Monceau’s set and costume design is colourful and eye-catching, although at times costumes can be a tiny bit over-accessorised with items that aren’t actually used by the cast. I loved, however, that the stage crew were dressed as nuns - I thought this was a great touch! Dough Kuhrt’s lighting design is nice, and ensures that all elements of accessibility can be clearly seen at all times. Kate Harvey’s sound design is also strong - the choice of music throughout is great.
Ultimately, Cured is a bold step in the right direction for the Royal Court; its level of accessibility is second to nun, and that is what all involved should be most proud of. At times it can lack pacing, but overall it’s a fun, colourful, accepting night out at the theatre that I’d recommend to all!
★★★★
