Autism Mama. Soho Theatre Upstairs, 21 Dean Street, London until 16 November 2024, 5☆☆☆☆☆. Review: William Russell.

Photo Credit: Jiksaw.

Autism Mama. Soho Theatre Upstairs, 21 Dean Street, London until 16 November 2024,

5☆☆☆☆☆. Review: William Russell.

“Heart warming and hilarious.”

Josephine Lacey, 56 years old and of Irish Jamaican ancestry, tells what it is like to cope when her autistic son Callum reaches puberty not just with him, but with his teachers, officialdom and life as a single mum. She has an older son, but we will not go into what she calls him. Lacey's control over her audience is manifest from the start as is her love for Callum and her wish that, in spite of all his problems. he can enjoy life. One of his problems is that clothes can hurt him, but the rule is in his bedroom he can wear nothing but around the house he must have a vest and pants. Callum understands order. She can, for instance, take him to the supermarket to shop but the list of items has to only be five things and cannot be deviated from. If it is he gets upset. Now he has got upset because he has a sore penis. In other words, his first erection. Puberty has come and something has to be done. He learns with the help of some picture cards which he can understand why this has happened and that it is all right for him to do deal with the problem in his bedroom but not elsewhere. Go, laugh – because Lacey handles her material beautifully - and learn from how she has coped and how Callum has learned to cope with some help from a balloon – brown and sausage shaped of course. Her show was a hit at Edinburgh on the Fringe and here last year in an earlier version. No doubt as Callum faces what lies ahead there will be more instalments. I went thinking why am I going to this and left glad that I had. She makes one laugh – avoid the front row as she does enlist the aid of someone in it to deliver some of her information – but more than that, she enlightens. The result is a hilarious and heartwarming show.

Cast

Josephine Lacey.