The government has made cuts for legal aid and funding for social welfare law advice. The poor and vulnerable have been hit hard. 600,000 fewer people are now entitled to aid. Rebecca Lenkiewicz examines the human cost in three cases: a black father (Nicholas Bailey) denied access to his children; an elderly Irishman (Niall Buggy) in debt and unable to pay his bills; and a Pakistani wife (Sirine Saba) abused by her husband (Scott Karim).
The leading character is an over-worked legal aid lawyer (Alexandra Gilbreath), in her forties, who runs a centre which is about to be closed down due to lack of funds. Seeking relaxation she tries an on-line dating service, only to find that what her dates really want is free advice. Niall Buggy is very droll as one such elderly date.
Laudable though the play is, and well acted, it is too thin to be successful either as a polemic or as theatre. The characters are too thinly drawn to be truly involving. The most shocking moment is reported: the abused Pakistani wife goes to the police and an interpreter in the police station advises her to go back to her husband and put up with the abuse and not bring shame to her family.