The Switchboard Project ****

Hope Theatre , London

It’s 1985 in London, the peak of the AIDS crisis, and the staff at the Lesbian and Gay Switchboard telephone advice line are busy fielding non-stop phone calls asking for help. They dish out advice on a huge range of subjects, including AIDS, safe sex, coming out, dealing with homophobia, and housing, amongst many others. We meet Lou (Fatima Abdullahi), Nana (Hannah Balogun), Joan (Megan Keaveny) and Jackie (Aine McNamara), four of the eight young lesbians who volunteer at the Switchboard alongside a hundred gay men. They arrange their shift rotas so that at times there are only lesbians manning the lines. We follow the strong crew as they deal with an overwhelming demand for help whilst battling faulty phones, poor funding, sexism from some of the male volunteers, crank callers, personal issues, and interpersonal dramas.

The Switchboard Project, directed by Molly Byrne is a beautiful step back in time to one of the toughest decades for queer people. Currently on at London’s cosy Hope Theatre – above the legendary Hope & Anchor pub – it’s a must-see behind-the-scenes comedy drama about the work of one of the UK’s longest surviving queer charities, now in its 51^st year, having served over four million people to date.

Based on interviews with former and current volunteers, as well as a deep dive into the Switchboard archives, we are taken on a fast-paced eighty-minute ride through the gamut of emotions riding through the office. Survival in the brutal eighties in the UK meant quick-witted, sharp responses combined with empathy were the order of the day and here is no exception. The excellent cast excel at this delivery, beautifully combined with Bryne’s movement and direction, Dan Southwell’s very realistic set and Ella Muir’s costumes. Arianna Munoz’s sound includes gems by Blondie and The Eurythmics. Lesbians are sometimes given a lower profile in queer history – Queen Victoria famously refused to believe they existed – so it’s refreshing to see this story told from a woman’s perspective. AIDS illnesses affected lesbians less from a physical perspective so these unsung heroes were often more able than others to help their gay male friends without worrying about their own health. My only slight criticism is that some of the sub-plots could have been developed into meatier stories and some of the more serious issues covered such as AIDS deaths almost generated similar reactions from the cast/script as minor issues such as office squabbles. These are minor points that can hopefully be addressed in future runs of the play – runs that are well deserved.

Queerguru’s Contributing Editor Ris Fatah is a successful fashion/luxury business consultant  (when he can be bothered) who divides and wastes his time between London and Ibiza. He is a lover of all things queer, feminist, and human rights in general. @ris.fatah