Anna Hadley reviews (sorry) at the Edinburgh Fringe

Susie Sillet’s (sorry) navigates the world whilst she balances it upon her shoulders. Performed by Louise Beresford, she apologises until her joints eventually give out.

But she shouldn’t be apologising for highlighting our collective anxiety, and our constant need to work harder and do better in our current age. Beresford’s character is a Millennial with a capital M, but she begs the audience to not judge her too harshly. Instead, she guides us through her experience of exploitative internships, the loss of adult friendships, and the guilt she feels for even existing as a carbon-emitting, gas-guzzling human.

If (sorry) is an internal monologue, she is deliberately appealing to her generalised audience. Although millennials receive bad press, and are often wrongly collectivised into a definitive group, this show worked for a wide-ranging audience and there were many a collective sigh and weary nod. When Beresford converses to her friends, she pans to the audience, highlighting her own isolation to her peers whilst she begs us to empathise with her. This is very reminiscent of Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag, and if you enjoyed that show you’d probably enjoy this.

Indeed, this show navigates an interesting paradox, of what it is to be an individual, whilst also being wholly insignificant. The central character constantly questions and nags us: Is it wrong to care about the small things, whilst problems bigger than us plague the earth?

It could be said that this show is not particularly unique or ground-breaking. The Fringe is, of course, already filled to the brim with left-wing nihilist angst. However, in the media we hear more that criticises young women, and less actually from them. In spite of the title, (sorry) is a brave show.