Theatre: Letters To Windsor House
Three stars
WINDSOR House is not a reference to a royal residence but a housing estate in north London. It’s where Rebecca Biscuit and Louise Mothersole, the founders of Sh!t Theatre, have lived for the past five years. And yes, they admit many important and influential theatre people have encouraged them to think of another name. Given the irreverent, devil-may-care characters they cut here, I doubt a change is coming any time soon.
Neither should it: Biscuit and Mothersole, who display their awards on a ramshackle desk in their hallway amid patches of artificial grass, multiple cardboard boxes and years of unopened mail addressed to previous tenants, are natural performers.
Don’t be fooled by their smeared superhero face paint and zany insouciance; Letters To Windsor House is a tautly written piece which addresses the gentrification of Hackney, the marginalisation of council tenants, and what happens when you turn detective in an effort to deliver all that mail to the people it was intended for.
Pocked with musical numbers from beatboxing to music hall, this is both humorous and heartwarming; a punked-up tribute to friendship which cocks a snook at the developers of nearby luxury flats (starting price: £465k), the HMRC and the Government. Fun, rebellious and grimey, it’ll also have you checking out the videos of 1980s power rockers Heart – always time well spent.
Until Aug 28 (not 22), Summerhall (V26), 1.35pm (60 mins), £6. Tel: 0131 560 1581
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