“Captivating and a humourous take on a misunderstood issue.”
From writer and performer Rosie Pepper, Marshmallow me offers an insightful story of living with and overcoming an eating disorder.
Ruby is a northern lass who left sunny Scarbrough to turn her acting dreams into reality. Along the way, the realities of living in London-the pressure, the sky-high rent, working too many jobs and the crippling loneliness that comes with big city living-she loses herself to bulimia to try and feel in control when everything else is spiraling. A chance encounter on a night out in soho whereby Ruby tries to forget her cheating boyfriend, leads her to find a friend and companion, who, along with her family, helps Ruby to overcome her eating disorder.
The staging was simple-a collection of suitcases that were wheeled around became makeshift counters, beds, toilets and along with interchangeable characters, it helped you to visualise the scene and because of Rosie’s performance, made you feel as though you were there. The use of sound effects also helped in bringing the scene/recounting of a story to life. Some suitcases had props in which were pulled out, at times to add comical effect.
Rosie’s performance was engaging, and it was easy to be sucked in to the autobiographical feel of stories. Ones which were very relatable and very funny. As the eating disorder takes told, the laughs stop and the performance becomes very emotional and still relatable. You can feel Ruby’s emotional and physical pain as the story progresses and the frustration of long waiting times. Being dismissed is something that I think far too many of us have experienced with chronically underfunded and much needed services. Interestingly, Marshmallow me also touches on the very real social-economical imbalance: if you’re rich you can get the healthcare that you need to get your life back on track but if you’re poor, you can wait.
This piece also has a real take on feeling homesick and how things were so simple as a kid. The nostalgia hits on the struggles of an eating disorder that I think a lot of people can relate to. Why is it that things which were so simple as a child are now such an overwhelming thing as an adult?
Marshmallow me is an honest and emotional piece with some very funny moments. Living in London myself, made those moments even more relatable. It’s on at Old Red Lion Theatre until 31st May, catch it if you can here.