EDINBURGH 2023: Review: MARI CRAWFORD: BIPOLAR BADASS, Paradise In The Vault

Bipolar Badass, a one-woman show by performer Mari Crawford, is a frank yet entertaining look into her experience with bipolar disorder, a mental illness that she highlights is still extremely stigmatised.

Whilst comedy and arts festivals are becoming increasingly saturated with mental health content, it’s far less common to see complex mental illness represented in a meaningful way, so it’s refreshing to see a performance piece that’s designed to break down a heavy stigma whilst also providing a personal catharsis for the artist.

Bipolar Badass is a mix of theatre, lecture, and stand-up routine – perhaps at times not quite finding the perfect balance between each of these in a short run time – and tells the story of her first symptoms through to diagnosis and acceptance. There’s a creative use of diary entries, interviews, and recorded phone calls which help the show along and offer different perspectives to Crawford’s experiences. It’s an incredibly important story to tell.

Creative expression in the wake of mental illness or as a tool for recovery is incredibly powerful, and the vulnerability on show in a piece like Bipolar Badass can never be taken for granted. The fact that Crawford is also able to share humour in it is a display of her creativity and strength, and it makes the tough content more accessible to people who may never have experienced complex mental illness.  

It's particularly interesting that she mentions the banality of life with mental illness such as bipolar disorder. Although the severe highs and lows might make for more interesting “content” the reality is most often a far cry from stock images of dramatic meltdowns and far more mundane. She remarks that the worst breakdowns of your life happen in beige rooms; anyone with experience with complex and enduring mental illness will find the truth in this sentiment.

Although shows like Bipolar Badass led by those with lived experience are crucial in tackling misinformation in a way that breaks down peoples’ defences, it’s worth cautioning that every experience is different. Statements like “[symptom] is” can come across as absolute but are rarely representative of all experiences when it comes to mental health, and it should be stressed this applies to the performer’s experience only. Especially when this refers to other adjacent and equally misunderstood aspects of mental illness.

The performance has a short run-time, but it simultaneously manages to be educational, emotional, and fun, and that is something Crawford should be proud of.  It’s uplifting to hear her journey go from her lowest lows to a point of not only self-acceptance but one of pride. Those with similar experiences will undoubtedly feel a sense of connection with this show, and those who don’t will learn something important from it.

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