Review: GOOD GIRL, Trafalgar Studios

After successful runs at Edinburgh Fringe and Vault Festival, Naomi Sheldon brings Good Girl to Trafalgar Studios. A liberating and honest comedy with a big heart, it picks apart and analyses what it's like to go through the discomfort and insecurity of growing into a woman, shining a light on the perils of growing up a member of Generation Y.

"What if no one in the whole world feels this much?" she asks as she begins her story in 1995, dressed in dungarees and a headband that recall Rosie the Riveter. Her six-year-old self is about to start a slow and self-defining journey: the world overwhelms her, and her friends are both reassuring and confrontational presences in her life. She describes what she's living through as not having solid edges, that pit in her stomach always on the verge of exploding everywhere.

GG is perceived as too intense and forward by her mates, so she learns to numb down her feelings. They all obsess over music and sexuality, but her tendency to be too open about herself and maybe too reckless with her decisions leads her to isolation. The grief that surrounds her not being able to have "neat little emotions" cripples her, but Sheldon's comedy is bright and lively.

She tackles femininity and mental health breezily and comically, and her sharp and witty one-liners don't just juxtapose deeper and more complex reflections but become one with the subject matter. "I want to tell the world I have org*sms! I make them myself!" GG says as she's coming to terms with her own nature and slowly learning to embrace her status as "too much".

When her monologue isn't taking over, Sheldon establishes a clear and definite conversation between GG and her character's colourful friends. She changes attitude and tone of voice, taking on different roles in the matter of seconds, showing off her versatility and adaptability as an actress.

Director Matt Peover concentrates the action on a small podium (designed by Alison Neighbour), reducing Sheldon's movements and putting her text and acting abilities at the centre. The result is riotous and effervescent in the intimacy created by the bare set.

GG doesn't spare any details recounting her experiences in a brash attitude and leaves her audience with a wholesome and joyous message, urging them to own who they are and stop apologising for what they feel.

Good Girl runs at Trafalgar Square until 31 March.

Photo credit: Felicity Crawshaw

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