Review: Justine Stops Oil, The Glitch

There’s no stopping Justine Pierce in her rise from humdrum housewife to climate warrior as she puts the heart-warming into global warming. Inspired by the life of a ‘Just Stop Oil’ protestor, Justine’s fiery yet funny story captures the ongoing debate around the role and rights of extreme activism. 

From road blockades to soup-splattered masterpieces, few will have escaped the far-reaching mission of the ‘Just Stop Oil’ movement; not even self-confessed squirrel watcher Justine. Sequestered in her conservative Brentwood bubble, Justine’s worldview is shaken to its core after a night of doomscrolling sends her down an ozone rabbit hole of climate change despair. 

Writer Louis Catliff’s well-observed suburban sarcasm permeates his uplifting one-woman show as his protagonist inhabits characters across the political spectrum from far-right trolling husband Keith to sensual socialist Kate. Actor Lehla Eldridge vacillates through her canon with aplomb, whilst always remaining in the warm relatability of ‘fish out of water’ Justine. 

Her imposter syndrome is keenly felt in her first protest meeting as she encounters every left-leaning stereotype she can imagine. Director Sam Holland Bunyan makes good use of in the in-the-round seating as the audience becomes the rallied troops with Eldridge selecting those with unusual hair colours or outfit choices. The success of the comedy here lies in Justine innocently speaking her mind, not spouting ‘Anti-Woke’ rhetoric, enabling us to follow along willingly with her fight for justice. 

A hilarious curry house scene sees Tory neighbours equally lampooned as the Botox-obsessed Lorraine shows off a picture of her surgical procedures that bear a striking resemblance to Justine’s curry. As we feel Justine recoil from her former echo chamber, Eldridge juggles re-enacting a dinner party of four, which does at times make it harder to determine who the speaker is. 

Multi-roling is more successfully explored in a duologue with Glaswegian temptress and campaign leader Kate, who questions both Justine’s morals and sexuality. This fumbling foray is neatly placed before the real action of the play: the protest.  

Catliff depicts a dark and dangerous North Circular blockade as the poetic description of sunrise snowfall accompanies the sounds of blasting car horns and blazing headlights. Here, he explores the vitriol, physical violence and police manhandling many protestors face. No matter your political stance, Catliff cuts through to the human element of these drastic actions, garnering empathy in his audience for a woman pushed to extremes. 

Not only does Justine stop oil, she stops you in your tracks as you think, ‘Does a bamboo toothbrush really cut it?’. Catliff produces a well-oiled production with great potential for reaching, and perhaps revolutionising, further audiences. 

Writer: Louis Catliff
Director: Sam Holland Bunyan
Designer: Tabby Bunyan 
Sound: Louis Catliff

Justine Stops Oil has completed its run at The Glitch