Review: A SUPER HAPPY STORY (ABOUT FEELING SUPER SAD), VAULT Festival

Sally (Madeleine MacMahon) is celebrating her 16th birthday seeing her favourite band playing live. Everything seems to be going well in her life and she looks happy as she can be, especially on that night. Except that she's not feeling that great on the inside. Olivier Award winner Jon Brittain writes a playful epic about navigating depression.

Directed by Alex Mitchell, A Super Happy Story (About Feeling Super Sad) is an accessible show that disperses all assumptions about the illness. The comforting nature of the cabaret musical spans from reassuring its audience that it's okay not to have all the answers to the importance of being open and forgiving oneself.

MacMahon, Sophie Clay, and Ed Yelland break down all barriers and entertain the crowd while delivering the show's crucial messages. They follow Sally's up-and-downs through the years with funny costumes and a lot of glitter but dive into her darkest moments with more somber tones. The isolation stemming from the mental illness becomes clear in Brittain's piece, as well as its lingering disposition and the stigma attached to it.

"When it comes back, I ignore it" she says in one of the many relatable scenes. It's a play that cuts deep within the people affected by the issues portrayed, who are able to recognise and identify Sally's daily struggles as their own. Whilst it might not be an easy one to watch, it's deeply rooted in optimism and has a keep-strong essence throughout.

Brittain doesn't hide the struggle but conveys it with a glitzy and bright attitude. With Mitchell's direction, the life-long battle becomes a surmountable challenge.

A Super Happy Story (About Feeling Super Sad) runs at VAULT Festival until 3 February.

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