To quote Georgie’s own words “Fairy Tale or Pigging Nightmare”
Review: And I’ll Blow Your House Down – Georgi Steel – Camden Fringe – Camden Peoples Theatre 22nd August 2024
And I’ll Blow Your House Down is an autobigraphical story of Georgi Steel. She enters on stage as a Fairy Godmother to grant all your wishes, but very soon reveals the Georgi behind the costume: a mother of 2 sons with disabilities, an unpaid carer for 19 years. Via the telling of The Three Pigs fairytale she relates details of her journey through the maze of Social Services and the care system and reveals the hurdles that are put in the way of unpaid Carers.
She likens receiving the news that her two sons have inherited Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy to the big bad wolf blowing your house down.
We follow her through the endless round of hospital appointments, Health and Safety nonsense and help that is not helpful. Funding to help ‘wash the children’ but not the dishes.
Comic moments such as the Tombola of Health and Social care are contrasted with the heartbreaking story of her son who, on finding a brochure for holidays for children with life limiting conditions, asks “That’s not me mum is it?”
She tells of the 40 page forms that have to be filled in, being given 30 mins to produce additional evidence to allow for holiday funding and systems that seem designed to make things worse rather than better.
And then there is the constant scrutiny, every action has to be justified or explained. There is a chillingly accurate portrayal of an interview with two Social Workers who barely acknowledge the Father but address all the conversation towards Mum.
Steels sons have given their consent to the production but have no wish to comment or participate. In lieu of a happy ending she tells of a moment of laughter in the car when, for an instant, everything was ok.
There are a lot of issues to unravel but Georgie manages to make us think about this unappreciated and largely hidden workforce.
And I’ll Blow Your House Down is at Camden Fringe until 25 Aug 2025
Performed by Georgi Steel
Directed by Greta Rilletti,
Clown Director Jon Davison
Originally published by Theatre and Arts Reviews
https://theatreandartreviews.com/2024/08/23/and-ill-blow-your-house-down-by-georgie-steele/