Written and directed by Jessica Telling, this feels like an authentic story of one woman’s experience of navigating life as a newly-diagnosed autistic woman.
Jessica Telling has created a fascinating and thoughtful play that in the space of an hour showcases the fact that autistic people have their own individual personalities and needs and that they are much more than how they are diagnosed.
Opening with a compassionate speech as to who is taking on what character, the loudness that the actors tones will get and what they are wearing, Chameleon does a great job from the start in highlighting just how inclusive theatre can be – with even complimentary sensory tools and earbuds being provided.
At the centre of the story, we follow Chameleon (also known as ‘Clare’ at the show I was at) as she dares to enter the world of dating and how she copes with the twists and turns of the relationship in the wake of her boyfriend Snake’s selfish and sometimes aggressive frustration as he fails to show compassion as she deals with the world and different situations around her. This is until she makes a friend who offers her a new perspective to help her understand that her experiences as a neurodiverse person can still make her personality stand out – she doesn’t have to react and deal with the world in the same way as everyone else does.
Telling’s writing and production isn’t always an easy watch, particularly in the way in which the audience sees the way Snake’s attitude affects her deeply. But it is not a show that looks for sympathy for the central character – just understanding and acceptance for her situation as well as the ability for all of us to open our minds to the different experiences that autistic people face. Just because there is one diagnosis – there are many different ways in which the symptoms such as overstimulation, sensory issues, and more can affect people.
Billed as a dark comedy, there are moments that do genuinely make you smile, but also make the audience wince and sit up and pay attention. The writing is razor sharp and filled with compassion that really does make you sit up and pay attention.
The performances are all superb and nuanced. Hope Rose as ‘Clare’ delivers a well grounded and raw performance that is truly worth catching – she grabs the attention in every line and every hint of movement that she makes. There is excellent support in Eleanor Butcher as a variety of characters, while offering plenty of compassion as well as delicate humour, with James Murison as Snake showcasing the character’s arrogance and swagger in perfect tone with what the show is trying to convey. Nothing is overplayed or dramatised here.
Filled with bite and thoughtfulness, it will be interesting to see what happens with Jess Telling’s play in the future – but for now it conveys the importance of stories like these being told and worth catching.
By Emma Clarendon
Chameleon is playing at The Glitch until the 1st September.
Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️