I would like to start this review by wishing all of our readers a very productive (albeit late) mental health week, which encourages everyone to take some time out of their busy schedules to focus on themselves and relax! As a sort of celebration of the annual mental health week, my new podcast A Bit of R and R decided to dedicate an entire episode to discussing our own mental health journeys (which you can watch at https://youtu.be/TScTYhFzR5I?si=T6cax7Izk4U4N_lv) and one of the most important things from that conversation was the importance of finding things that bring you joy. We live in a very busy and stressful world, so finding moments to focus on ourselves and relax is of massive importance. One of the ways that I have found that really helps me is through these moments are sporadic adventures to see new pieces of theatre.
Our most recent trip to London to see the brand new musical Figaro (which you can learn more about at https://youtu.be/fT1kn_2OUrU?si=Sc9Mktvh7JGh-86g) saw us visit the iconic London Palladium for the first time but for this adventure we got to visit an entirely new area of London, namely Greenwich, to get to the incredible Greenwich theatre! Based on 90% of true stories, Overshare documents the life of a social media influencer suffering from a plethora of mental health conditions. What is particularly interesting about this production is the fact that the entire story is told with the incredibly talented Eleanor Hill telling the story directly on their phone rather than the traditional one-person production style of looking directly at the audience. However, the creative team had cleverly decided to screen share the device onto a large projection above the stage so that the audience is able to get a sense of eye contact and direct conversation, which I personally thought was a very important inclusion due to the sensitive nature of the topics being discussed. I think it’s fair to say that we are probably know someone who believes that they must share a little too much on social media (a particularly influence springs to mind who I cannot name for legal reasons) and so seeing someone stream their breakdowns is already within many people realm of experience but also a allows the audience to see an honest/real portrayal of some more intense mental afflictions. On top of this, the projector is used throughout the production to share a range of media, which helped to bring the show into the modern era. Similar to the likes of How to Live a Jellicle Life by Awkward Productions (which you can read about at https://rhysreviews.com/2022/07/28/how-to-love-a-jellicle-life-production-review/#:~:text=Linus’%20production%20has%20a%20clever,plot%20of%20cats%2C%20which%20has), the multimedia elements of the show introduced a much more contemporary twist to Overshare but also played with the social media theme scattered throughout this production. This addition of Pictures, livestream comments, videos, memes, etc, also helped to break up the more intense moments of the show, which made sure the production was not too overwhelming for those in attendance.
What I thought was particularly unique about this production is the fact that it actually starts before the audience has even entered the auditorium. As everyone enters, Eleanor Hill can be seen on stage essentially relaxing in her bedroom (where the entirety of the story takes place), listening to music and on her phone. On top of this, the audience is also encouraged to play along with the show by interacting with the show by scanning a QR code where the audience is asked a series of questions in their messages from Eleanor live on stage. This opening not only helped to instantly introduce the key theme of social media but also allowed the audience to understand the type of character they would be spending the next seventy minutes watching. From an audience perspective, this also meant that from the very moment you step into the venue, the audience is instantly involved in finding out more about the person on the stage. The rest of the story is cleverly split into almost chapters, which helps to keep the narrative of the show moving throughout. These titles help the audience to anticipate the sort of things that are about to be explored, which is very important as some of the stories are very intense and could cause some distress to listeners, so giving the audience a heads up was much needed. One of my favourite sections of the show saw the lead character finally receive a diagnosis and medication, which is something many people strive for. As someone who has endured my own mental health journey, the moment medication is finally provided can be a very complex time as I experience a range of emotions. The character in the story goes through a highly relatable sequence of initially feeling shame about needing pills, to feeling like the medication themselves are watching/judging their actions, which can easily lead to greater shame surrounding what they are going through.
Overall, Overshare the play is an intense and gripping show that explores the negative effect social media can have on mental health. The structure of the show ensures the audience stays on the edge of their seats throughout, as each individual scene documents an honest and real step in this person’s mental health journey. This production is definitely intended for a more mature audience as it includes strong language, sexual references, depictions of violence and explores mental health issues, but Eleanor’s impressive yet highly vulnerable exploration of honest mental health episodes creates a truly gripping and captivating show to watch! I would rate this production 4.5 stars out of 5!
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