Guest Blog: 'We Aimed to Generate Hope': Writer & Performer Ben Target on Challenges and Grief in Bringing LORENZO to the Stage

My show LORENZO is a tribute to a remarkable man called Lorenzo, who I lived with during Lockdown, as his end-of-life carer. It tells the story of our friendship, the adventures we shared, and speaks about people taking care of each other in the messiest of times. 

It wasn’t a show I wanted to write but the brilliant Director Adam Brace managed to convince me to over six months after he saw me doing some stand-up about a year ago, in which I told a story about Lorenzo accidentally defecating on my hand. He found this funny because, despite being nominated for not one but two Olivier Awards, he had the most puerile sense of humour out of anyone I’ve ever met. He should have been part of the cast of Jackass. 

The tricky part was finding the balance between the fun parts of my friendship with Lorenzo and the hard part of being with him in his twilight years. We didn’t want to shy away from the visceral nature of palliative care but also, we aimed to generate hope. I think we’ve arrived at the perfect place: a life-affirming story about death, featuring shadow puppetry and live carpentry.

Adam suggested the show feature live carpentry as both an homage to Lorenzo’s past as an architect and his love of craft, and my genuine skillset of working as a carpenter (I’ve built many stage sets before). Unfortunately, Adam passed away shortly after making this suggestion. So, not only did I lose another dear friend but also, I had no idea how to finish the show, and as Adam convinced me to do it and then disappeared, I was trapped in a warped prank - exactly the sort of thing Adam would have found funny. 

I was numb for about two months but the remarkable team at Soho rallied around the show and the wonderful Director Lee Griffiths came on board to finish the show with me. We were old friends from our days of gigging on the circuit and I’d assisted him with one of his shows years before, so initially, he just wanted to repay the favour but our bond of trust grew quickly and we were able to celebrate not only Lorenzo but also Adam in the work.

The show landed very well in Edinburgh this year - much better than my early days. I remember one particularly bad gig in Portsmouth Football Club Member’s Bar, for 500 very drunk men, who repeatedly faked a mass walkout. I haven’t been back to Portsmouth since, even though my brother lives there. I’m relieved I haven’t blemished Adam’s impeccable legacy.

But a full month of performing - even to the kindest of audiences - is a challenge. To get through the entire Fringe festival, I had a survival mantra:

• Angry = Eat
• Sad = Sleep
• Tired = Drink Water
• Anxious = Exercise
• Jealous = Focus on your work

Also, random adventures are good. This year in Edinburgh I went to see Barbenheimer at the IMAX with my good friends and fellow comedians Adam Riches and John Kearns. The team who worked on LORENZO and I walked across the Firth of Forth bridge and went to see the seals in Deep Sea World, an abandoned quarry. Oh, and a very talented playwright walked up Arthur’s Seat with me and we ate blackberries along the way.

These golden moments make it all the more worth it.

Read BroadwayWorld's review of LORENZO at the Edinburgh Fringe here.

LORENZO is at Soho Theatre until 14 October.

Main Photo Credit: Ed Moore

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