I went to see ADHD The Musical at the Stephen Joseph Theatre. What an incredible piece of theatre this is. If you get the chance to see it, do! Tour dates and tickets can be found here
Dora Colquhoun wrote the musical, supported by funding from the Arts Council. It arose out of a research and development project during which the artist consulted with people living with ADHD, neuroscience experts and other theatre creatives.
This resulted in a musical comedy about a late ADHD diagnosis and the issues in navigating a world designed for a neurotypical brain. Dora has created a show which is lively, funny, colourful, poignant and, hugely educative but in a non-teachery way. We laugh when she tells us about being so drunk she was asked to leave a job interview, and of packing jobs in without really understanding herself. She powerfully draws on a bear character (which growls fiercely) to represent her pain and shame – its every appearance caused anxiety for the audience, so this was particularly well crafted.
Dora Colquhoun has astounding energy throughout this very physical and fast-moving show. It is awesome but exhausting to watch, but here lies the magic of the writing because it gives the audience an experience of how tiring ADHD may be for people who live with it.
One particular highlight of the show was a guest appearance by Dora’s inner warrior, Cher. Wow! Is all I can say about her appearance.
The supporting cast members and BSL interpreter all brought their own special magic to this innovative, quirky show. I heartily recommend it.
LF Meleyal 