Content Note: This review contains discussion of eating disorders and self-harm

Aware as I was of Rust’s tremendous success at the Edinburgh Fringe this summer, I had very high hopes for this ADC late musical, which follows the story of Evie, a young woman who spends a month in rehab, struggling with an eating disorder and self-harm. While there, she learns about her fellow patients, some alcoholics, some addicted to pain medication, some, like her, with eating disorders, and their stories – universal and yet never straying too far into cliché.

Each of the supporting characters is rich, intimate, and powerfully brought to life by an incredibly strong ensemble cast. The cast is further supported by a very impressive 7 piece band, ably led by musical director Sam MacDonald, who negotiated the score with ease. The story is ‘based on personal experience’, and it is clear that the writers, Helena Fox and Geraint Owen, understand their subject intimately, and write about deeply complex conditions with subtlety and empathy. It is not common for an ADC late show to have such a length of time for rehearsals, and you can clearly see the benefit – although we only have 60 minutes to understand the characters it is easy to feel that we know and understand them by the end of the production.

Writing about mental illness and addiction in a musical theatre setting may seem incongruous, and although I expected great things from this production, I was also sceptical. Could a musical accurately convey what it is like to struggle with these issues? It is a medium defined by its artificiality and its distance from naturalism, after all. And I would say that not all of the music accurately hits the mark, occasionally sitting uncomfortably with the subject matter or the characterisation. Occasionally clumsy staging decisions made it difficult for the music or acting to shine through, or the script seemed to shy away from realising the narratives that were suggested.

"The cast’s musical ability is stunning, and the score is unparalleled in any student written musical theatre I have seen in Cambridge"

Sometimes, however, the script takes advantage of the very theatricality of the medium to great effect, as when the rehab centre’s psychologist, played with great nuance by Paloma van Tol, breaks the fourth wall and directly addresses the audience, challenging us to contemplate the importance and significance of this narrative to our own lives and wider social responsibility. She cites statistics in a way that harshly grounds the play in reality.

Despite a few missed shots, overall the music is incredibly impressive. The cast’s musical ability is stunning, and the score is unparalleled in any student written musical theatre I have seen in Cambridge. Particular praise must go to Dominic Carrington and Sean O’Neill for their powerful voices. O’Neill’s number is a beautifully poignant and comic pastiche of a drag set – although this song is easily the most fun in the show it also depicts a queer narrative that is empowering, uplifting and incredibly difficult.

The standout performer is Alice Gilderdale in the lead role. Her portrayal of Evie is unique yet relatable, quiet yet powerful. Her voice perfectly carries some of the most emotive moments of the score, particularly the title song. This number was, in my opinion, perfect – Fox and Owen have triumphed in the combination of powerful lyrics and score.

Fundamentally, whether musical theatre is your thing or not, and despite some unfortunate flaws, this is a show that I think everyone needs to see. It is beautifully performed, moving, inspirational, and has the courage to discuss one of the most complicated and difficult issues facing not only Cambridge students, or even our generation, but global society today. As the house lights come up towards the end of the play, the psychologist reminds the audience of the importance of being aware of our mental state, whether through 28 days in rehab or 60 minutes at the ADC late show. I can’t speak for rehab, but certainly this play gave me more to think about, and more hope, than plenty of 60 minute therapy sessions.

For those affected by issues in this article, please find further information and help on the following websites:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/eating-disorders/
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/alcohol-misuse/
https://www.counselling.cam.ac.uk/studentcouns