A deeply complex and revealing show that hides nothing Rating
Excellent!
Old Fat F**k Up is advertised as “a show about seeing your naked body in the mirror and crying, discovering your career’s uncontrollably disintegrating, and realising that suddenly everything costs a bomb”. It tells the story of Olly (Olly Hawes) from his perspective: his life as an everyday father, husband and son. Olly has hopes and dreams like any other guy, and he aspires to be the best version of himself that he can be for his wife and his kids. Until one evening, he witnesses a tragic event unfold, which causes him to look at his life from a different perspective.
Hawes and director P Burton-Morgan deliver a production that is very raw and very real. Aside from the fake blood and a few prosthetics, there is nothing fake about Old Fat F**K Up in any way. The show addresses two questions Burton-Morgan has: How do we raise our boys? What kind of men do we want them to become? These questions are answered through Hawes’s writing, recounting how he is trying his best to raise his son and not be like his own father, all the while anxious about his wife, who is pregnant with another boy. He later also sees a man who is the victim of a violent crime and is deeply affected by it.
Hawes relates the main parts of the story while speaking through a microphone, but there are many points where he speaks to the audience without amplification. It is on these occasions that we hear Hawes’s underlying feelings, which he depicts beautifully. At times, there is an uncertainty about whether Hawes is acting or really talking about his life, or both, and in these moments, the audience is completely mesmerised by his storytelling.
The real power of the show comes from the staging, which uses nothing more than a long and narrow strip with a chair at one end. This strip divides the audience in half, and Hawes tells his story while moving up and down the space, occasionally sitting on the chair. All the while, the light hardly ever dims, and when it does, it is for no more than a few seconds, meaning Hawes is completely exposed to the audience the entire time. This exposure is uncomfortable to watch, but creates such a powerful performance that it is impossible to look away. Old Fat F**k Up is a show that will have you laughing one minute and then serious the next. It is brutally honest and conceals nothing regarding the commonplace struggles felt by many every single day. The show is direct and doesn’t waste any time exploring the differences between what is expected from each person and what they truly desire. It is highly recommended for anyone looking for a show that hides nothing and exposes everything.
Written by Olly Hawes
Directed by P Burton-Morgan
Dramaturgy by Tim Cowbury
Lighting Design by Christopher Nairne
Set Design by the Creative Team
Produced by Morwenna Johnson
Old Fat F**k Up plays at Riverside Studios until Saturday 20 December
