Climate change: a global crisis, a tragedy. The Future is Unwritten presented Sheffield Theatre Deli with a facetious play homing in on the devastating truth we all face. The female-led cast directed by Paul Hodson used an alternate planet called LOL, a backdrop to depict and criticise humanity’s selfish lifestyles and flippant mindsets towards a very real and heart-wrenching reality.
The storyline was powerful and eye-opening; the show exposed the devastation that infected the planet and the families it lay home to. The two stars, Beth Fitzgerald and Nadia Shash, bounced amongst four different characters each throughout the performance. They took us along a journey of how Planet LOL has been mistreated by people do not understand the consequences of their actions. It illuminated the harsh reality of everyday living and how people may be swayed to not stand up for what is right when faced with money. The performance touched on taboo topics such as government ignorance, company scandals and what the future will hold for our younger generations.
Image: JJ Waller
Beth and Nadia used an acquired taste of silly humour and frivolous jokes throughout the show. Using a play on words like ‘sheet television’ instead of ‘s**t television’ and the use of bitter phrases such as ‘old husband’s tale’ didn’t really seem to work for me. It didn’t exactly get a barrel of laughs from the people sitting in the audience either.
Despite this, you can’t help but feel almost sick and ashamed leaving the theatre. You do feel as though you have been physically slapped with the truth of climate change and what people do every day to worsen it. Sitting and watching the characters make different life choices is extremely frustrating when you know the outcome. You almost want to shout and tell the characters what they are doing is wrong and that they are going to kill the planet.
It was a truly powerful and insightful message that the world really needs to hear.
