Ruby Wax sits on a stage and is interviewed about her latest book, ‘I’m Not As Well As I Thought I Was’
I came into this show with little knowledge of comedian and writer Ruby Wax, other than being aware of her mental health advocacy and strong friendship with the late Alan Rickman, but it was very interesting to learn about her. ‘I’m Not As Well As I Thought I Was’ is Ruby’s seventh book – it’s a raw insight to her mental health, and so the evening was spent talking a lot about the different parts of Ruby’s life, from her childhood to her time in a psychiatric institution in 2022.
The Big Top at the Fringe by the Sea festival in North Berwick was packed. It’s a great venue – an impressive marquee with a big stage, and despite the wind, everything was easily heard through the sound system. There were also two screens either side, showing the stage in real time and with captions, however I don’t know how helpful these would be if you were sat towards the back. The chairs were not the most comfortable to sit on for an extended period of time.
Ruby Wax brought energy and vigour to the stage, and whilst she was the one being interviewed, I got the idea that she was used to being the one in control, with a habit of taking the interview off on a tangent. Arlene Stuart did a great job of bringing it back on track, with a down-to-earth energy. I was impressed by Ruby’s list of accolades, including a master’s degree from Oxford, and the many endeavours to understand, help and advocate for mental health.
It was very eye-opening, the way she talked about mental health, describing it as a disease in a similar sense to shingles. That nothing on the outside matters – you can be rich, have a loving family, but if it’s going to hit you, it will. She joked that she chose her husband because he had no evidence of mental health issues in his family, with the aim of giving her kids a good chance of avoiding it. This was unlike her own family, whom she described very clearly (but of course with humour) as having their own mental health issues, causing her own childhood to be very difficult.
She talked about how the lack of help for people is astounding, and put bluntly, if you can’t afford the treatment you’re stuck. She tried many different ways to understand it, from her degree in neuroscience, to spending 30 days not saying a word at a retreat. There was a Q&A at the end, where five or six people described their own mental health issues, and clearly had great admiration for her. She came across as quite humble, admitting her younger self would never have expected to be in front of an audience being asked these questions, and she didn’t feel she had all the answers. However her advice included to not come off your medication, and fight the mental health pandemic as if it were a war. She believes that the root of most of the problems in the world is down to problems with the the brain, and money is desperately needed to help research neuroscience. I would like to mention that Ruby founded a charity seven years ago called ‘Frazzled’, which hosts online spaces for people to share their stories, connect and find support.
This show was really for people who want to find out more about Ruby Wax, or have an interest in mental health. Whilst Ruby was funny, it included quite serious topics. It was interesting and enlightening, and I think left many feeling educated, supported, or both.