Review: MAGGOTS at Bush Theatre

“…At a small residential block, on a quiet street, off a busy road in an unremarkable corner of London”, various residents have begun to discern an unpleasant smell but are having difficulty in describing the odour. Perhaps drains? Or maybe the stench of rotting meat? At the very least, a butcher’s shop on a hot day, and it has been particularly hot recently! Furthermore, no-one can recall seeing or hearing from Shirley at No61 for a while and it appears as though she has not been collecting her mail. Could the unthinkable have happened? More importantly, who is responsible for investigating and dealing with such matters — surely not the tenants association who barely communicate on their WhatsApp group as it is?

It is one of those unwritten yet universally accepted rules about the anonymity of living in a busy city like London, that despite the huge population and seeming inescapability of people, we largely choose to keep ourselves to ourselves — particularly when living in flats. It is why older people especially, can feel isolated, unseen and forgotten. Najib’s play explores this idea but delves more deeply into the unconnected characters who may be indirectly confronted with the aftermath, through their frustrating interactions with the jaded gatekeepers of impenetrable bureaucracy. How their conflicting desire to have a mystery solved and a problem addressed can gradually be stymied by their own understandable unwillingness to become personally involved or be seen to kick up a fuss.

Societal observations abound throughout the piece and the trio under the direction of Jess Barton have honed delivery of some blinding one liners as they incorporate gently realised characterisations of the plethora of flat dwellers, visiting council inspectors and others impacted by events. Staged on Caitlin Mawhinney’s simply realised set of a two person sofa and side table beneath a ceiling of dried hung flowers, we are treated to very real personalities going about their daily lives with occasional snapshots of their back stories. They feel ordinary, funny, and touched by an honest realness.

Unfortunately, what feels less real is the notion that a human being could die behind the closed door of an apartment and a full year could pass before police would be called to force entry, despite multiple claims of a bad smell, non collection of mail and an aborted gas safety inspection. That is, until you take a moment to recall that Sheila Seleoane, a medical secretary living at a Peabody Housing Association flat in Peckham, remained undiscovered from August 2019 until February 2022 under exactly these circumstances. It’s a sobering and unsettling thought.

Running at just a little over 1hour straight through, MAGGOTS (yes they appear and are graphically described in one particular section of the play) is a neatly honed and thought-provoking piece of work. It continues at Bush Theatre’s small space until 28th February.