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Culture Theatre

Fringe review: I Christopher

I CHRISTOPHER by Claudio Tamburri (Quietus Productions/Fringe). At the Al Green Theatre. July 8 at 9:45 pm, July 9 at 2:45 pm, July 11 at 9:15 pm, July 12 at 6:15 pm, July 13 at 7:30 pm. See listing. Rating: NNNN


Actor Claudio Tamburri plays Christopher in this solo show he also wrote, based on his personal experience of living with ASD, Autism Spectrum Disorder.

It offers fascinating insight into the life of someone whose mind processes information differently. Christopher needs to support himself but he struggles with getting and keeping work. His sensory issues are so highly acute that he needs to take extra measures to tolerate touch and sound that wouldn’t bother most people. His social skills also cause problems. He gets called terrible names and reacts in frustration, which leads to the play’s dramatic conclusion.

Things don’t always run smoothly in this production. There are some frustratingly long pauses between scenes, and Tamburri includes unnecessary narration. Jesse Heffring’s staging is clever, using voiceovers extremely effectively and cardboard boxes to create different settings.

Tamburri gets to step out of character for the poignant final moments.

@somanydreams

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