EDINBURGH 2018: Review: WEIRD, Pleasance Courtyard

Yasmin has had to drop out of university because she's ill. She has what she calls 'the shouty man' in her head, who tells her that if she doesn't do things a certain amount of times something really bad will happen to people she loves.

She's back home with her parents until she gets better and her mum tries to help by buying her a mindfulness colouring book. As she returns home, she delves into when she started to feel like this and when she began to have these obsessive thoughts.

Weird is a personal account of OCD rather than a clinical one. The disorder is explained in great detail but in a very human way with no medical jargon.

Weird is performed by Amy Doyle at this performance and she pulls off multiple characters with great skill. Alongside the different mannerisms and voices of characters we hear audio recordings playing of her counting, she must always keep counting.

Although this is billed as a show about obsessive compulsive disorder, it is equally about eating disorders and self-harm. There are some light moments throughout the play but overall it is quite a dark and weighty piece.

https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/weird

Photo credit: Headshot Toby

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