Alight with a wholesomely chaotic energy from the start, Philippa ‘Pip’ Dawson opens with a late dash onto the stage, as the opening lights and music fade into the background. Armed with bags overflowing with props, and a radiant stage presence, Pip asks for a redo, as she ushers us in to a frantic, fast-paced and high-spirited hour of storytelling.
Character Flaw is a vibrant show that celebrates the joys of neurodiversity, and is packed full of Dawson’s warmth and hilarity.
Laid bare, Character Flaw follows how Dawson's diagnosis with ADHD in early adulthood revealed a reason behind so many of the ridiculous, incredibly funny, but also often stressful or upsetting experiences in her life. From old school memories, where she was often told her head was in the clouds, to formative moments in her realising her sexuality, Dawson explores how her daily experiences with ADHD where often presented as faults; in her being too forgetful, or unfocussed, or lazy. These ‘character flaws’ thus litter her anecdotes, in this thought-provoking unpacking of what’s it’s like for a neurodivergent mind to function in a world so built up against it.
Dawson and director Nat Kennedy have packed this one-woman show with an impressive amount of sound and light design, with voiceovers and train tannoys bringing to life the frantic inner workings of Dawson’s rail-network of loose thoughts. Powerfully, Dawson uses her storytelling to express how hidden behind the wit-filled mishaps and blunders, many of her funny anecdotes had more negative real-life endings, causing hurt and upset to herself and those around her. Here the light and dark of her experiences with ADHD is explored with a vulnerable nuance. At times, the pacing meant that some of these more defining moments of her experience were slightly lost, and scaling back may have given these moments more weight, particularly towards the end. Ultimately though, Character Flaw is a vibrant show that celebrates the joys of neurodiversity, and is packed full of Dawson’s warmth and hilarity.
