Review: BRIGHT PLACES, Soho Theatre

Bedazzled with sequins and bouncing with 90s pop, Bright Places is a technicolour journey through a Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis. Heaps of educational fun, it imbues what is at its core a tough, life-altering experience with energy and creativity.

Dubbed as a ‘three-woman one-woman show’, Bright Places tells the story of Louise, an English and Drama grad who is diagnosed with MS at the age of 23. All of a sudden, she finds herself no longer able to dance, to go out clubbing with her friends, and instead is frequently bed-ridden by fatigue and muscle pains. With the cast of three all playing Louise, as well as her friends, family, dates, and doctors, the show is fast-paced and imaginatively structured.

Tonally, Bright Places feels reminiscent of schools touring theatre: it has the same youthful energy, cheesy humour, direct address, and primary colour costuming. In some ways, this is what makes the show successful: it manages to raise awareness not only of what MS is but the experience of daily life with the condition as a young person, and does so by inviting us into a version of Louise’s life. At the same time, the structuring, with musical segments, game shows, and skits, often feels a little too made-for-kids, and at odds with the show’s use of swearing – it’s increasingly confusing who the audience for this show actually is.

The combination of Tessa Walker’s direction and Debbie Duru’s design is quirky and flashy, with several costume changes, set pieces, and dance numbers. Every scene features a new gimmick or angle, with everything from feather boas to rave sequences. Holly Ellis’ lighting is bold and vibrant, while Clive Meldrum’s sound design neatly integrates 90s tunes with hospital sounds. 

The cast of three all have the enthusiasm of CBBC presenters – Aimee Berwick and Rebecca Holmes especially are full of jazz hands and grins. Lauren Foster, who spends the most time as main character Louise, gives a slightly more nuanced performance, tapping into the real existential anxiety of living with chronic illness and showing vulnerability.

Many of the show’s strongest moments are those where the sparkles fades away and we are instead granted access to Louise’s inner fears and anxieties. Bright Places doesn't shy away from the fact that life with MS isn’t easy, especially as a young person, and explores experiences common to all kinds of chronic illnesses. The show also makes great use of creative captioning, designed by Virginie Taylor. It begins to explore its own fictionality, and the use of three actors to play one woman who cannot appear herself, but this idea fades into the background after the introductory scene. 

While its style and content may feel somewhat at odds with one another, Bright Places is nonetheless an entertaining, worthwhile piece of theatre. Moreover, it’s a really fun way of gaining insight into an experience rarely seen on stage.

Bright Places runs at Soho Theatre (Upstairs) until 7 December

Photo Credits: Graeme Braidwood

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