**** 4 STARS
5 years ago the UK was coming out of lockdown, in the early aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Isolation experiences were at their highest and our collective mental health was at its lowest. We were all frozen: anticipating a return to normality. In the midst of this, we meet Benny the Courier, played by Piers MacKenzie.
‘One courier. One impossible delivery. How far will he go to complete his order?’
In fact, Piers shapeshifts across many characters, including his colleague Nathan, an NHS worker named Lucy, a young boy in a corridor who gives Benny the address in exchange for chocolate, and Benny’s saucy client, Roxanne (although she prefers ‘Roxy’). One by one, these interactions follow Benny’s job to deliver popcorn chicken, chips and – of course – a pepsi max. However, there is one problem. He can’t seem to find the real address.
What starts off as a comedy, full of chaos and turbulence, much like the pandemic, quickly takes a dark and sinister turn. Who actually is Lucy? What happens when the delivery order only contains vodka, paracetamol and a KitKat? How will our protagonist cope with the astronomical unemployment rates post pandemic?
Throughout Piers’ rollercoaster performance, we are following the inner chaos of Benny’s mind, with quick and witty jokes accompanied by impressive tech from Melissa Ingle.
Whilst the show at points could have done with some breathing space to allow the audience to really digest what we’ve seen unfold, the fast-paced environment really conveys the stamina required by food delivery drivers. What was clear by the end was a conversation around ‘essential’ workers. How, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, did we measure who was essential and did we consider all the people who lost their lives and identity due to lockdown? And how far would we go to feel less alone?
Courier by Piers MacKenzie @ZOO Playground 5:45pm daily till 24th August
