Edinburgh 2022: Review: BLOCK'D OFF, Pleasance Courtyard

Block'd Off is a new play that takes place in a block of flats in London. It is a one-woman show that sees the performer take on a variety of roles to get a sense of all the different types of people living in the building.

While the actor is a capable performer and can shift tone and mannerisms with ease, it is not always clear who is who in the narrative. We meet an older lady who is saving up for a nurse to help care for her, a young man with a teenage daughter who he is pushing into a law career and a lad from Oxford university who has been asked to tutor her.

Supported by the Pleasance Generate Fund, Block'd Off is a play that follows 5 characters in a cycle of deprivation. Block'd Off features real-life stories from working class people and shines a light on the issues that they are facing such as drug use, gang violence and PTSD.

There are some strong, gritty moments in this play but the storytelling is disjointed and hard to follow.

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