I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect when I walked into Shower Chair. However, I was swiftly invested in the show as American comedian Ben Fallaci strips down to the bare flesh of a heartbreaking true story—quite literally. From the onset he establishes an intimate tone and inviting atmosphere in the room, making the audience feel as though we’re his friends getting all the hot and heavy gossip. So if you love to hear about other people’s drama as much as I do, then this show is a must-see.
The alternative theatrical style adopted by Ben Fallaci is a strong reflection of his creativity and talent as a performer, as it combines the captivating quality of a one-man play with the witty dialogue of a comedy show. I found his use of a ‘gay’ and ‘straight’ tally board as a means to reconciling his sexuality deliciously funny and clever. Throughout the production, he takes the audience through different phases in his life that centre around various toxic friendships ranging from his hometown to his year abroad at the University of Edinburgh. This ultimately leads us to an explanation of how he ended up stuck in a shower chair for months, and how this changed his life.
I found the use of occasional sound effects and music distracting; Fallaci uses his iPhone
to control it himself while on stage, disrupting the flow of the narrative which felt amateur and even a bit lazy—the show certainly would have benefited from a sound tech. When a
questionable song selection isn’t playing in the background, Fallaci recounts entertaining anecdotes of house parties, drinking binges, his first gay sexual encounter, and of the time he got arrested outside of a nightclub with his friends—which are funny, until they’re not.
The show takes a very dark turn as we come to understand the realities of these friendships and how they impacted his life. His storytelling skills are unmatched and his quick costume changes to indicate the various characters he conveys makes this production stand out. Although, by the end of the show, no costumes are needed at all, which proves to be significantly more profound.
With an unexpected plot twist the play ends on a vulnerable note, and how better to portray true and complete vulnerability than naked in the shower (or better yet, stuck in a geriatric chair naked in the shower)? This was an incredibly intimate and emotional show as Ben Fallaci bares his heart, body, and soul on stage and shares some of the most traumatic and challenging times in his life while still managing to find the humor in them. A beautiful and cathartic illustration of feeling lost in your 20s while navigating themes of identity, shame, loss, and coming clean.
I will also add that there is a need for more sufficient content warnings for this production as it explicitly deals with themes of suicide, addiction, and self-harm.
Shower Chair is running until the 24th of August at Greenside, George Street, at 20:50.
Tickets can be purchased here.
Image by Vicky Wilkinson, Junglemoon Studios, provided to The Student for press use
