Simon Ward reviews Overshare at the Greenwich Theatre

At one point during this hectic cavalcade of a show, creator-writer-performer-producer Eleanor Hill pauses for a beat to wonder whether her last remark was a bit of an overshare. The joke is, of course, that the whole thing is one massive overshare from start to finish, but all the more compulsively watchable for it. No question, it makes for uncomfortable viewing at times – the material can be very raw. There are moments when it feels almost inappropriate to be sitting watching while someone’s mind is unravelling before our eyes. But Hill’s masterstroke is to have woven her mental challenges and breakdowns into a very dark but very funny comedy. We feel that she has stared into the abyss and seen the funny side. When you get to the bottom, you can succumb, but you might instead just start giggling.

Technically the show is astonishing. Constance Villemot’s set design is a masterpiece – it makes Tracey Emin’s notorious bed look positively benign. It seems to be a physical embodiment of Hill’s mind, in all its messiness and chaos. Yet there are key anchors to hold onto – toy squirrel Squizz (who gets his own acknowledgment in the programme), and videos of Disney’s The Little Mermaid and Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory. We are forcibly reminded that WWATCF is the only good movie version of the story, the one with Gene Wilder, and the Imagination song – accept no substitutes. Hill is telling her story in real time, in her room, while at the same time videoing everything on her phone, and we see both, as the phone footage is projected onto the back of the stage. The back of the stage also features a scene-setting view from the bedroom window. At apposite moments in the story other characters will appear – a shape-shifting cartoon squirrel is a regular. The phone can also be used to make, or receive calls, to often hilarious effect. There is a sequence of on-hold call centre messages which is worth the price of admission on its own. Credit for the invention and seamless operation of all the technical aspects should go to Matt Powell (video design) and Grant Services (technical operator).

Next week – 12th to 19th May – is World Mental Health Week, so it is fitting that this visceral exploration of the real-life challenges of living with a mental health condition should be staged now. But this is not only the story of one woman’s descent into a vortex of despair – wider society doesn’t escape censure either, from the much older man who takes advantage of a vulnerable younger woman, to the police who arrest her after she has suffered a brutal rape. This is, indeed, a challenging piece to watch but it is ultimately uplifting to see Hill’ s determination to make something positive from her struggle. Her triumph is to show us a living, breathing human being, not simply a sufferer or a victim. Highly recommended.

Overshare is running at the Greenwich Theatre until Sunday 25th May