‘Stuffed’ is a fantastic piece of theatre, there is absolutely no doubt about that. A series of coherent physical theatre and clown sketches serving to highlight food poverty in this country, social attitudes to it, and the regime’s lack of meaningful action.
A concept that seems so important, and something we expect the viewing public to be aware of but told in a way that changes everything we think we know about food poverty and the use of food banks. Every bit of the piece made sense and felt meaningful. There were moments where laughter was closely followed by guilt – how can we as an audience make light of such a dire situation? However, when the piece was ready to get serious you could hear a pin drop in the furthest corner of the room.
‘Stuffed’ is very well choreographed and delivered – the game show scene in particular offered just the right balance of satire and truth – but in reality, each sketch was valuable and fresh. The perspectives offered from real (though it is hard to believe some of them are) interviews and news clips are shocking, and Ugly Bucket have enlightened a sell-out audience tonight on how much work there still is to do in tackling food poverty, and how little account the current government have taken for their existence and overuse.
I would encourage everyone to get themselves to Unity over the next two days and see this show – it has truly been an educational, entertaining and thought-provoking experience.
Congratulations to Ugly Bucket for a magnificent piece of Drama, and to Unity for its continued platform for artists to create inclusive, thought-provoking theatre.
‘Stuffed’ runs until 19th November, with a ‘pay what you can’ performance on Friday 18th. The ticket includes a meal before the show. They are also collecting for local food banks on arrival.
Please go to www.unitytheatreliverpool.co.uk/whats-on/stuffed/ for tickets and more information on food bank collections.
Reviewer: Andrew Lee
Reviewed: 17th November 2022
North West End UK Rating: ★★★★★
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