Lancaster bombers, audience aerobics, an outsize white feather boa, swirling planets and Japanese bedside tales are all part of Incontinental. But there’s no escaping that this is a play about faecal incontinence.
Kazuko Hohki describes how it was born in the subsidised cappuccino surroundings of the Wellcome Trust. The onstage presence, patience and fluency of Alastair Forbes, professor of gastroenterology and clinical nutrition at University College Hospital, helps make the piece careful and coherent.
In tandem, Lewis Barfoot and Colin Carmichael revel in cabaret. A ‘disco dysentery’ number takes us through conditions from ulcerative colitis to short bowel syndrome. Incontinental Airlines welcome us aboard an aircraft with two toilets at the front, two in the middle and sixteen at the back, with their own irrigation system.
The real-life story of ‘Minimouse’ is perhaps the most poignant. In her mid-twenties, she is suddenly left doubly incontinent after a difficult childbirth. Messages from an online forum show her struggling with shopping, Christmas, the in-laws and the health system.
The detail of the show is impressive. There’s the city commuter who counts steps between public conveniences on his way to work, anatomical precision, and the facts that speak for themselves. About 1% of adults in the UK have faecal incontinence, and one-third of all people over 65 have problems with bowel control at least once a year. Women are disproportionately affected, denial is rife and forced anal sex can even be a factor.
This is all rich material. The subject matter of bowel and bladder just seems to bring out more panache and pizazz from the performers. Lewis in particular has a fine voice (occasionally over-miked), but both she and Colin swing effortlessly between song, dance and subtle character acting with star quality. And if you were wondering how the ensemble holds together, catch Prof Forbes on the flute.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, there are embarrassing moments. The swirling dance with loo roll became a pretentious parody of an Andrex advert. And of course, you may just not want to connect with the arts/science divide, the Second World War spoof or the anal sphincter itself of a Thursday evening. But overallIncontinental is a gutsy and gentle piece of theatre. Surprisingly uplifting.