Bullies sneak in at the sidelines of this story, but Melissa Johns doesn’t let them steal the show. In her one-woman performance, the extremely affable Coronation Street actor centres sharp and funny stories about sex and dating. Snatched may not be the most rigorous piece of storytelling, but it charmingly articulates how she learned to enjoy her body after she had gone to desperate measures to hide it.
Johns acts out a fractured collection of mini-scenes and memories, primarily about navigating an ableist world as a woman with one and a half arms. Individually, the snippets are witty and honest, but the lack of an overarching structure makes the show feel untidy, like you’re flipping through a diary, randomly stopping every so often to read an entry.
As Johns recounts her teenage years, musician Imogen Halsey orchestrates her 00s playlist. Halsey’s voice is gorgeous but feels a little wasted, her live performance strangely in conflict with the digital audio. Using one or the other would make the show feel more cohesive.
Snatched comes into clearest detail when Johns recalls the distressing experience of having her naked photos leaked online. On top of the ridiculous shame she was made to feel for having taken the pictures, she faced horrific comments from trolls about her disability. It’s clear how much these comments have crawled under her skin; she doesn’t read them out loud, instead choosing to project them on the screen behind her.
At the start of the show, Johns presents a mock awards ceremony, an ironic celebration of patronising prizes she’s been given for being such a quote unquote inspiration. Swanning around in a glitzy gown, she’s so certain, so glamorous. She exudes total confidence. Through her honesty and no-nonsense humour, Snatched smartly outlines the journey she has gone through to embrace that confidence and to not just uncover her arm, but to proudly show it off.
• At Soho theatre, London, until 18 May.
