Review: WRESTLELADSWRESTLE at HOME is ‘a powerful story of inner strength’

WRESTLELADSWRESTLE slams its way into Home Manchester for an autobiographical show about strength, heart and overcoming hate with martial arts.

Jenni Jackson, a teenage British Judo champion, recounts to the audience how she grew up a child of British and Bolivian parents in Coventry in the 80s.

WRESTLELADSWRESTLE at HOME

She relives an account of racist abuse her mother suffered and how her mother brought her to a Judo Club and began her journey to becoming a champion judoka.

The play uses a number of different techniques to retell Jackson’s story such as monologues, Bolivian Cholita dance moves and her own well-honed judo expertise to bring her stories to life.

Jackson’s passion and respect for the sport is clear to see as she makes the judo moves look effortless.

With a minimalist set designed to look like a Dojo, the show features a non-linear style of narrative.

Impressive monologues from Jeni Jackson

The strength of the show is Jackson’s narrative monologues as she conveys her story to the audience with both strength and a decent amount of humour.

During the show opener, Jackson introduces the history and significance of the Bolivian wrestling dance, Cholita and performs it with an impressive routine alongside co-star and writer Simon Carroll-Jones that is a highlight of the show.

Also on show is the 30-woman strong “Girl Gang” assembled from women of the local community who each get their own loud sports entertainment style ring entrance, played by drummer Isobel Odelola.

And they each get to display their own judo moves including executing a judo throw on ever-resilient co-star Simon.

Bringing its own brand of abstract energy, WRESTLELADSWRESTLE is a show that is unafraid to get experimental with narrative skits, some of which work really well such as when a judo exercise snaps into a haunting account of a lost woman desperately trying to return home.

While other skits suffer from running a little too long and could have been better paced.

Accompanying Jackson’s stories are impressive self-defence seminars woven into the play, Jackson shows off her judo expertise in style as she confidently displays techniques to the audience, such as how to remove a threat from a house party and how to effectively protect themselves from threats that get a little too close.

Tickets for WRESTLELADSWRESTLE at HOME

Showing at Home Manchester until Saturday the 12th October, WRESTLELADSWRESTLE is a show that combines overcoming adversity and cultural diversity with explosive martial arts action.

You can get tickets to see WRESTLELADSWRESTLE at HOME by clicking here