“This is not your average stage performance… Liz says she’s ‘exposing herself in the hope that more people will do the same.’ The whole performance ending with the good-humoured plain talking Skype call we see between Jasmine and Liz might just help with that.” – About Manchester
★★★★ “This is no dull pity fest though, as skilful mimic Liz recreates some of the characters she meets along the way to recovery bringing out the humour in even the worst of times… A special word for HOME who backed Gutted from its earliest development and is exactly the sort of work this venue should be supporting.” – North West End
“An absorbing hour of knowledge and admiration of generous revelation.” – Manchester Theatre Awards
“Amusing and illuminating… An incredibly personal and honest show about a life-changing experience that most of us will hopefully never have to deal with.” – The Greater Manchester Reviewer
“This is a show that is likely to pick up terms like ‘brave’ or ‘life-affirming’, and it is. Gutted packs a hefty punch in that it paints a messy picture of what can happen when our bodies fail but it also reassures. Regardless of serious illness and multiple surgeries, [Liz] Richardson looks great, has a loving relationship and a child, and is doing a job she clearly enjoys.” – Live Art Alive
“Both subtle and brutally frank… Leaves me with open-mouthed admiration for Liz [Richardson’s] courage in devising this show.” – Unrestricted Views
“A hilarious, honest and important piece of theatre that raises awareness of a health condition that conversation is far too silent on.” – Afroanalysis
“In its witty, brilliant and honest way, Gutted had me thinking that ignorance may not always, in fact, be bliss… If Gutted is on at a theatre near you, I encourage you to check it out.” – Within My Locket
“It’s good to talk, and Gutted, in its giving Liz [Richardson] a cathartic forum to relive her pain, is to be applauded for promoting this particular conversation in a life-affirming way.” – The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology
“If you’re concerned, just talk to a member of our staff or, alternatively, swing your legs over the edge of the bed and walk out, remembering to pull the camera from your bum before leaving the hospital.”
Liz has got an embarrassing problem, and these yogurts aren’t helping. Her body’s acting up. After sell-out performances here at HOME in 2016, and a national tour of hospitals, this shameless tale of love, laughter and lavatories returns to where it was created.
Inviting you on a journey of frank confessions, colourful characters and too much brown sauce, Gutted is based on solo performer Liz Richardson’s real life experiences as a twenty-something living with ulcerative colitis (an inflammatory bowel disease).
“Tight, witty and compelling. That’s how you do theatre”
@AdGilmour on Twitter
Produced by Making Room, supported by IA: the ileostomy & internal pouch Support Group, The Wellcome Trust and Arts Council England.