THEATRE REVIEW – WOUND MAN & SHIRLEY
THEATRE REVIEW – WOUND MAN & SHIRLEY
23 – 27 June
The Drum Theatre, Plymouth
There are different kinds of scars. Scars we wear on the outside for all to see . . . and the ones on the inside. Those can be the ones that hurt most of all and the ones that make us who we are.
Shirley Godanken is a young man who’s scarred on the inside. His parents’ bizarre choices in naming him, his unrequited love for another boy and the death of a brother all cause him pain on a daily basis.
That begins to change however with the arrival of a “freelance social interventionist” (more commonly known as a superhero) into his neighbourhood. Wound Man is the physical representation of illustrations, which appeared in medieval textbooks, to show all the varied ways that the human body could be injured. As time passes, this becomes the gift, which he gives to Shirley and many of the other innocent bystanders who they come into contact with. When a child, involved in an accident, is asked where it hurts, she points to the unlikely hero and tells them, “Over there!” In short, Wound Man can distract us from our own pain and make us braver than we realise we have the capacity to be.
Chris Goode’s latest play becomes a fable for modern times. Complete with animated sequences and Goode himself narrating the plot and playing each of the characters but, more importantly, telling his audience the story. The play touches on so many real world issues such as the concerns created by an older man (particularly in a silver thong!) befriending a young man and taking him patrolling in case of emergencies late into the night. Yet, somehow Goode’s storytelling style allows him to face up to these realities without allowing the more unpleasant aspects of our existence to intrude on the wonder of Shirley’s world once Wound Man becomes a part of it.
With this play, Chris Goode acknowledges that life hurts but if Wound Man has any message for us all, it is that we should acknowledge our aches and pains and choose to carry on and succeed despite them. Perhaps, even because of them! It is only in this way that we can all manage to find the superhero within us all.
Words: Alan Butler
