If you read the programme before seeing the show you might think this was going to be a tough night out, a bit of grim alternative to cosying up at home in the safety of your own sofa. For Butterfly is a canter through mental ill health as experienced by women through the ages and that is far from a bed of roses. This alternative history is narrated by warrior Queen Boadicea, a 17th century wise woman, an unfortunate inmate at Bedlam and Butterfly herself, woven around the parallels lives of Beatrice and Elizabeth – women struggling with what life is like on the edges of society.

It is performed excellently by the engaging and energetic Jacqueline Phillips and she skilfully carries us through these many strands, commanding and serious as Boadicea, wilful and lively as Butterfly, anxious and in danger of being crushed as Beatrice. A simple but powerful set by Martin Maenami, great use of video footage and a brilliant sound track of late 70's and early 80's classics all add to the texture of this play. If there is a problem it is in the writing which is poignant and funny in turns but at other times the playwright brings her soapbox onto the stage too much. These moments don't do justice to the subject matter; it would be better to let the characters tell us their stories.

Not credited in the programme so I cannot give her credit here is the British Sign Language interpreter who translated all the spoken word and most of the song lyrics. In no way a distraction, she was as engaging and expressive to watch as Jacqueline. The play was developed as part of the Cultural Shift programme from ARC Stockton, a project which aims to challenge commonly held perceptions disability and disabled people and also to increase opportunities for disabled people to take part in the arts.