Edinburgh 2022: Review: BADASS at Pleasance Courtyard

'Has your bum ever tried to kill you?', Sarah Mills asks. Our beguiling storyteller talks us through her life: everything is coming up Mills until the harrowing moment that she notices blood in her poo.

Mills' personality sparkles like a cold glass of prosecco, and the audience travels along with her like the tiny bubbles floating to the top of a long-stemmed tulip glass. Badass is remarkably delightful considering it is equally distressing. You endure Mills' relatable quest for love - in all its hilarity and awkwardness - alongside the narrative of the life-changing effects of a chronic illness.

The tale is accompanied by PowerPoint-esque slides of photographs from Mills' life. From unexpected poo-mascots worn by the NHS staff that looked after the performer, to the everyday gorgeousness of photos of her friends. The screen provides a simple visual aid that marries the simplicity of Mills' storytelling and invites the audience into the many love stories that infuse the show. Mills' adoration of the NHS is captured with the complexity of loving something falling apart before your eyes. Or rather, loving the people that withstand working within it, providing essential comfort and care in chaos.

There's a quality to the show that makes it feel more TedTalk than Edinburgh show. However, this is part of what gives Badass such comfortable charm. It is raw storytelling.

This is a show of thematic importance that packs an emotional punch.

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