Finest (ZooTVxIanAbbott, 11-20 August)

Poppin' off: this spirited and righteous response to living with sickle cell anaemia is let down by confused editing.

Melding dance and spoken word, Finest tells the story of Abel, a young man whose life is upended by his sickle cell anaemia diagnosis. Dancer Alex Peters breathes life into Lucy Roc's script with an impressive performance inspired by poppin' across the 20th and 21st centuries to create a lively showcase which defies pre-conceived notions of chronic illness.

"We see a series of vignettes, a more disjointed piece than the overall narrative teased at by Roc, and it's a shame that this creates a patchwork of Abel's experiences which ultimately do end up defining him by his sickle cell diagnosis."

Roc's script is a memoir of sorts, adapted from her friendship with Abel's real life counterpart. Her commitment to the subject matters shines through her words, which fixate on the terminology used ("just a little scratch") and how little these phrases help those in a position of illness.

Peters professes his inexperience in acting, but delivers the monologues with a natural affability. He switches well between Abel's adult and childhood self, showing us a young man at turns rebellious, outgoing and cut down during sickle cell crises. The show admirably casts off the idea that Abel's illness is a death sentence, whilst still conveying the gravity of these crises. There's a repetitiveness to the first crisis which explores the monotony of pain, and Peters' fluidity suddenly switches to jutting pops.

If there's anything that lets Finest down, it's the presentation here as two edited pieces (one performed on-stage, one for streaming). We see a series of vignettes, a more disjointed piece than the overall narrative teased at by Roc, and it's a shame that this creates a patchwork of Abel's experiences which ultimately do end up defining him by his sickle cell as we have so little time to see his wider interactions with the world. Often the camera angles change jerkily, distracting from Peters' skilful performance. Why this aggressive editorial decision? It tears the viewer away from what's clearly a thoughtful and inclusive piece of hip hop theatre.

Finest is available for on demand streaming until 20th August, you can find details and buy tickets here.