A warning should be given to the audience of this show: the
A brave piece of theatre which should be seen and embraced.
Written and performed by Nicole Zweiback, it is a heart-rending account of a young girl throughout her formative years and her descent into the destructive downward spiral caused by this disorder. Zweiback takes a while to settle into the role, but once she does fully inhabit the character, the effect is devastating. There are moments earlier on where a few cut-off line endings don’t convince us – this could be a choice, but whatever the reason, it takes us out of the action. That being said, once Zweiback is in it, she’s in it for good. If the final level of acting she finds is maintained from the outset – this could be an explosive and truly harrowing show.
The direction from Katie Coull and Ed Theakston has a lovely youthful and energetic physical aspect to it, which acts to keep the audience engaged and somehow positive, despite the content of the material. It strikes us as simplistic yet beautiful, propelling the story along and keeping us empathically linked with the heroine.
Though it is limited to a single line in the play, the optimism, or indeed, Bit of Sunshine shines all the brighter due to the stark backdrop of which is, sadly, the reality of countless women and men in society. The two young companies creating this piece – Bloody Deeds Productions and Kilter – achieve their stated objectives with this tragic yet enticing-one woman play. This is a brave piece of theatre which should be seen and embraced.
