Facing the blackberry

Well guess where we went this week? That’s right, the Unicorn Theatre. To see what, you ask? Blackberry Troutface, which, as bizarre as it sounds, a nationally touring show which has won several awards for its excellence. Performed by the Liverpudlian theatre company, 20 Stories High, Blackberry Troutface shows us the harsh and gritty reality of life of children with a parent addicted to drugs.

Let me just give a little taster of the play. Its morning and the 3 siblings are going through their usual problems again; 15 year old Kerrie’s trying to get ready for school, her little brother Cameron’s having his panic attacks and big brother Jakey is still trying to escape from a local gang. Amidst all this chaos, the 3 find a note in a Frosties box from Mum, £50 and a ripped up newspaper under the microwave. The note states that Mum has left. Sounds wicked, doesn’t it?

Now what I thought of it? Well. I thought the show was amazing! Funny, engaging and a little bit weird, Blackberry Troutface kept me on my toes. The jokes were actually funny; the suspense was full of raw emotions giving me goose bumps; the actors, full credit to them, played the characters exceptionally well to create an amazing performance where I was left feeling not only excited about watching the show, but also educated about how it can severely affect the children. Another thing which was great was that the whole play took place just in the house, which allowed me to focus just on the characters and them as a family. Also, the play wasn’t patronising or condescending, like many shows for young people I’ve seen, where the main message is don’t do drugs or knife crime is bad. Blackberry Troutface allowed me to thinkon what has been shown to me and then come to a conclusion to where I know what I think about the matter. As a young person, I would recommend this show to anyone, young or old.