Spoonface Steinberg

There is an actress in her mid 20s called Zoe Thorne in this production but I saw no sign of her at all. All I saw was a small child with autism and terminal cancer trying to make sense of the world, surrounded by the crowded contents of her bedroom.

True, I was also privy to her calm and logical thoughts, expressed by her in a precise and orderly way, albeit occasionally showing a childish non-grasp of the full situation. And there were times when the outside world became too much and I was flung outside those thoughts to observe the sometimes violent behaviour that resulted.

In fact I really did keep forgetting that I was watching a theatrical performance. Thorne and director Michael Fentman have clearly worked so closely together that what you get is Spoonface and her particular world existing in front of you.

Lee Hall’s monologue is by turns funny, sad, painful, uncomfortable, moving and at times utterly beautiful. It’s only an hour long but that hour is so intense and absorbing that it feels like a full-length play.

Just as Zoe Thorne totally becomes Spoonface Steinberg so the props are never props, simply the things she has surrounding her. A lot of thought and hard work has gone into getting the body language so precise that it never for an instant looks studied or stagy.

Time spent with Spoonface was one of the most magical hours of my life and I thank Zoe Thorne for allowing me to meet her.

Reviewed at Clwyd Theatr Cymru, Mold, North Wales.