Beyond the 4th Wall
By Cathy Crabb
The Lowry, 9 January 2012
Set in a Utopian community, Cathy Crabb’s play uses an imagined future as a prism to view some current attitudes to disability.
Its conclusion is that freedom and fulfilment cannot be found in an institution, however benign and nurturing it may seem, but must be sought in the wider world, in the treacherous terrain that lies ‘beyond the fourth wall.’ That’s the dry, cerebral version of what was on show here.
Of course, there was a lot more fun and liveliness to be had on the night; and the occasional shadow an’ all. As with Crabb’s previous work, the play moves, provokes, entertains and makes you laugh. And never has so much fun been had by messing about on an intercom.
Beyond the 4th Wall is showing again at The Lowry tonight, details here.