Spending his Sixth Form years in Brighton, Tom Glover is no stranger to the politics of the left.
His production, ‘Wet Bread’, premiered at Brighton Fringe Festival this week. A one-woman performance with a focus on the idealised vision of Labour supporters. At times it is brutally funny, and in other moments it delivers, on a more condemning note, an overarching theme of taking it all a little too seriously.
Morag Sims is outstanding in her main role as Adele and her transition between the lead and a host of other characters, from her mum suffering with cancer to Roger, the homeless man she lets into her home in an attempt to ‘change the world’.
Adele is a far-left supporter in search of the idealised world. She hopes to bring an end to oppression in just about every country she can think of, promotes fair trade and is a preacher of veganism – the play is made for Brighton.
Tom Glover, a winner of the BBC Trans Comedy Award, spoke of how the idea for ‘Wet Bread’ arose from the election of Jeremy Corbyn, and said he wanted to look at the contrast between “a leader and a politician.”
Tom himself is left-wing, though he is keen to analyse the lack of criticism for supporters of the Labour Party. He argues that “scrolling through Facebook, it’s always ‘why are the Tories doing this!?’ but there is hardly ever a bad word said about the Labour or its backers.”
Among the brilliant writing there sits a darker theme to the play. Adele’s mum, Pat, has been diagnosed with cancer which worsens throughout the course of 2016 – the year that her daughter has dedicated to changing the world.
The realisation that she can not perhaps change the world all at once is the biggest lesson Adele is taught throughout the performance. The words her mum leaves with her underpin one of the writer’s key concepts as ‘Wet Bread’ concludes – it’s not always about making noise; sometimes it’s more important to fight the quieter battles.
‘Wet Bread’ is brilliantly written, directed and performed, and is available to see as part of Brighton’s Fringe Festival until 14th May, from 7:40pm at Waterfront 1, Jury’s Inn.
Photo Credit and Tickets Available here: https://www.brightonfringe.org/box-office/shows/view/wet-bread
