It was a Tuesday afternoon when Stuart Waters was found unconscious by the side of the road. He lay in hospital for five days before being identified. “It could go either way,’’ says a voice on the soundtrack.
It seems incredible then, that Waters is here in front of us. Careening around the stage, his strong body glistens with sweat. He stamps to the beat, with head thrown back and arms sweeping through the hot pink beam of the disco light.
A former dancer with Protein, recognisable by his cheeky grin, Waters’ debut choreography is a frank and full-on autobiographical solo show that chronicles the hidden side of his life: a spiralling addiction to crystal meth and the dangerous world of chemsex.
He lays it all out there, the appalling lows and perilous highs, while drawing the audience into his overwhelming hunger to lose himself in pure sensation. Even while showing us the horror of the comedown.
How do you tell a story like this without turning the audience into voyeurs, hooked on the drama of someone else’s pain? Well, Rockbottom is often unsentimental, keeping emotion at arm’s length with a hammy showbiz host.
It’s hard to be objective about Rockbottom, but there are scenes that could be tweaked, avenues explored and questions of tone. How did Waters end up here? What led to such gnawing emptiness? Maybe it’s just too raw to go there.
Inarguably, this is one brave performance. Waters deserves huge respect for his remarkable commitment to honesty in reliving his darkest moments. But more than that, for bringing himself back from the brink.
At MAC, Birmingham on 2 October. Then Helford Theatre, Truro on 8 October and The Arts Institute, Plymouth on 9 October.
