Booked & Scene

Not Your Token Trauma-Porn

FlawBored, the multi-award-winning disability-led theatre company, doesn’t do trauma-porn or pity-porn. And thank f**k for that. IT’S A MOTHERF**KING PLEASURE is chaotic, cheeky, and unapologetically irreverent—exactly what we need in conversations around ableism. FlawBored’s co-founders and performers, Samuel Brewer, Aarian Mehrabani, and Chloe Palmer, have crafted a metatheatrical experience that refuses to spoon-feed its audience a sanitized version of disability discourse. Instead, it cracks open the conversation with humor, satire, and some well-aimed punches at the performative wokeness that dominates modern discourse.

One of the most impressive aspects of the show is its commitment to integrated, creative access. The show opens with a roughly 15 minute montage that no one would ever be able to argue doesn’t include quite literally, everyone. It ensures that all audience members, regardless of impairments or disabilities, can experience the same show without feeling like an afterthought. The result? A production that is inclusive without being patronizing, smart without being preachy, and wildly entertaining without ever feeling exploitative (besides of course exploiting non-disabled folks which of course they’re okay with).

Seeing (and Not Seeing) the Talent

Chloe Palmer, Aarian Mehrabani, and Sam Brewer aren’t just the stars of the show—they’re also the writers. What they’ve created is a fast-paced, hysterical takedown of ableism and the exhausting need to fit into society’s checkbox-driven approach to inclusion. They also ask the question: If a magical pill existed, would you take it to get rid of your disability? Unlike some recent Boston theater productions that seem determined to remind audiences of how terrible we are (without offering much else in terms of a call to action or ways to change), IT’S A MOTHERF**KING PLEASURE manages to challenge the audience without alienating them. Instead of guilt, it ignites action. Instead of burdening the audience with despair, it sends us out the door laughing—and thinking.

Palmer, as the only sighted actor and woman in the cast, is an absolute comedic force. Her portrayal of Helen from HR—an earnest, well-meaning white woman who just keeps f**king it up—was painfully accurate and hilariously delivered. Mehrabani shines as Ross, a blind influencer navigating the murky waters of fame, morality, and capitalism. His response to a particularly heartbreaking moment in the show is one of the best examples of the production’s ability to balance humor and depth. And Brewer’s portrayal of Tim, the ultimate manipulator of what the show calls ‘able anxiety,’ is both brilliantly written and masterfully performed. The way his character leans into the guilt-driven economy of performative inclusion raises an important question: What would the world look like if we let people just exist rather than reducing them to their most marketable labels?

DEI is DOA? This Show Says F**k That

At a time when diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives are being actively dismantled across America, IT’S A MOTHERF**KING PLEASURE arrives like a necessary wake-up call—particularly if you happen to be seated in D5, where you’ll quite literally be in the spotlight. The show doesn’t just talk about inclusivity—it lives it, breathes it, and executes it flawlessly right down to the full screen captions and engagement with John the Captioner. It makes audiences laugh while forcing them to confront our own biases, leaving us eager to be better allies rather than just feeling bad.

In a cultural landscape where difficult conversations are often avoided or handled with kid gloves, FlawBored proves that accessibility and biting satire can—and should—coexist. This isn’t a lecture. It’s not a guilt trip. It’s a motherf**king pleasure. And it’s one you shouldn’t miss.

Playing at ArtsEmerson through April 13.