‘Right Hand Man’ is Richard Stott’s debut show in which he examines disability, body images and mental health in our tough image conscious world. Having been born with a little known condition called Poland Syndrome - which made him “lopsided with a misshapen hand” - we learn of many aspects of his life before and after life-changing surgery, that gave him toes for fingers on his left hand.
Stott describes himself as “probably on the right-side of the disability spectrum” and he indeed questions whether he is disabled at all (“especially as I’m a professional stilt-walker...and never had to read ‘do not touch’ in braille. That would be a bit unsettling!”) We are treated to a hilarious ‘Poland Syndrome’ song and learn that since fellow sufferer Jeremy Beadle’s death (who knew?) he is now PS’s “funniest man” (or “Poldark with jokes” And yes there is definitely a resemblance there!) “At least the upside is no-one is going to steal my act!” he says ironically.
This is a very funny show full of honesty, perceptive insights, pathos and some very witty one liners. Apparently Richard got into stand-up because he wanted to sleep with a comedienne, giving her £500 to help with her Edinburgh Festival rent, which subsequently lead to him performing a show about disability: inaccessibly “up the stairs”.
We are drawn into his childhood stories, when he was the “go-to guy for getting things out of cracks”. Later he was a tour guide at Cambridge pretending to be a rich student who “for some reason got more tips” Then there are the pressures and ridiculous competitiveness of being in the creative industries (“we jump in a well with 3 million other middle class people saying positive things to each other”) And then of course there is the whole issue of being disabled in the mix - how disabled actors never take able-bodied roles (“I wasn’t even cast as Richard the 3rd”) At least he managed to get on a TV programme called ‘The Undateables’ as ‘Toe-hand Man’.
Richard tells us candidly of his multiple operations, his friend’s suicide, and his own battle with depression, interlaced with acidic commentary about Donald Trump “mocking someone with Cerebral Palsy” and a surreal story about being covered in someone’s father’s ashes on a random trip to Stonehenge.
In covering all of this and more, Richard’s performance very occasionally dips in momentum and energy. However this is a totally unique and highly thought-provoking show that deserves to be seen - and in fact needs to be heard. I hope that the day will come - sooner rather than later- when performers with Richard’s undeniable talent will be given opportunities that don’t soley pigeon-hole them into the ‘disability’ bracket.
Reviewer - Georgina Elliott
on - 22/8/19
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