This Sh*t Happens All The Time @ Assembly George Square

1990s Belfast. Whilst high-energy, high-synth Madonna tracks may be dominating the charts, an omnipresent threat of ridicule and violence lies at the Amanda Verlaque’s This Sh*t Happens All The Time. This one hour show, based on Verlaque’s own experience studying at Queen’s University in the 1980s, follows the experience of a young, queer woman navigating a giddy first love as she breaks free of the shackles of oppressive small-town homophobia. When her new girlfriend’s jealous (not-so-ex) ex-boyfriend appears on the scene, violence catches her up, forcing her to walk a dangerous line between a need for visibility and the safety of the shadows.

Catriona McFeely delivers a stellar performance throughout. With no set, diegetic sound or music, apart from her singing, she commands attention from the moment the audience steps foot in the room. She is a masterful storyteller – with a particular affinity for accents and musical interludes – and is a real joy to watch.

McFeely’s command of the narrative ensures Verlaque’s well-paced, punchy, captivating writing is given space to land. Whilst the seriousness of the topics at hand are not watered down, Verlaque does not linger on gratuitously violent details, even in moments of high threat. Indeed, the interplay between overt, casual homophobia and a simmering silence that will feel jarringly familiar for anyone who grew up under Section 28 (or in the Irish Catholic Church) is one of the greatest strengths of the play.

Whilst the scenarios depicted in 80s Northern Ireland might feel like the remnants of a half-forgotten dream, it is hard to ignore their relevance or depressingly cyclical feel. With the US Supreme Court being asked to rule on the national legalisation of same sex marriage, and a climate of overt hostility towards LGBTQ+ people growing across Scotland and the globe, the threat Verlaque encountered feels just as tangible, just as close to home. As the play ultimately reminds us, inertia is the antagonist to the joyful liberation the play’s protagonist seeks. And, if this shit happens all the time, what are we ultimately going to do about it?

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This Sh*t Happens All The Time, Assembly George Square Studios (Studio Four), until 25 Aug, 1.20pm, £13-14