Who Cares!

Can you imagine surviving the trials and tribulations of life, getting to your older years and having to hide away the very core of your existence for fear of being persecuted? This is what Keith Orton’s moving, acerbic and deeply grounded play ‘Who Cares!’ examines. Set in the living room of a retirement village flat we meet Dennis who is recovering from recent hip surgery and has begrudgingly allowed carer Jay J into his life – and kitchen. The tense relationship isn’t helped by the daily offerings of sloppy eggs and tidying up the mammoth stack of crosswords that Dennis has curated.

Letting a stranger into your life is not an open invitation to explore your past, yet somehow the generational differences between them allows the dialogue to flow beautifully between a battle of wills and common ground; Jay J is just the right energy to bring Dennis out of his depression and back into the real world. There is a shadow that falls over Dennis throughout the play, which is manifested in his neighbour Terry, who on the surface is the concerned friend yet harbours resentments towards Dennis and Jay J, and is prepared to act on these. As Dennis shows Jay J his past and his heartache, there is a palpable shift in atmosphere – relief and finally a way for Dennis to express his grief. Jay J fully embraces this and brings all those memories back out for Dennis to rightly relive in his own home.

There is a clever balance between the lively exchanges and quiet reflection where we get the chance to sit with Dennis and experience his loneliness. There is a justified and subtle ending where the confrontation with Dennis’s shadow is dealt with by wit rather than anger – a lesson for us all.

Keith Orton has gifted us a must-see piece of theatre that aims directly at the heart of prejudice and his performance as Dennis shows us how cruel and beautiful life can be. Shaka Bunsie as Jay J gives and energetic and heartfelt glimpse into the fine line carers walk between their profession and being human. John Ivens brings the fun and the darker side of friendship as Terry.

Richard Cavanagh’s pacy and thought-provoking direction gives the play it’s dramatic edge whilst showing a reality that many of us will understand; this piece deserves a future beyond it’s initial fringe performances.


Photo credit: Alexandra Danilenko
Review: Jayne Marshall