Review: Josephine Lacey: Autism Mama

This is a story about how Josephine Lacey taught her son how to masturbate.

Context is important. Her son, Callum, is autistic and struggles to self-regulate. He’s also a visual learner and thinker. That’s why Lacey found herself one day with an improvised balloon penis between her legs, lubed up, stroking and explaining.

Lacey could have gone full-on gross-out humour to tell this story, but her delivery benefits from a matter-of-fact lightness. She isn’t afraid of an innuendo, but Autism Mama isn’t about sex. It’s about the ups and downs of navigating strange times in the life of her and her teen son.

At times, the show veers into work presentation mode, particularly when she brings out placards to illustrate how her son learns; these also did a lot of the heavy lifting, jokes-wise. Nonetheless, there’s lots to consider in Autism Mama: race, manhood, privacy and literal thinking.

Lacey is a master at finding the funny in her circumstances, but Autism Mama isn’t without pathos. It’s rare to find a Fringe show with a story this unique. Lacey knows the power she holds here, and uses it – particularly in the (ahem) climax – accordingly.