“Help… I need somebody” Viki Browne ends her performance to a rather bubbly Beatles soundtrack, bathed in the affection of her audience. Back at the beginning of the show she proclaims: “It started in a magnolia bush in 2013…” We already sense it’s a personal story because Viki greets us as we enter: ”How are you? Thanks for coming!”. There are lots of shiny things and sparkles in the set. She’s wearing a silver jumpsuit with tassels and bears a blond bob wig, like a happily disoriented space cowgirl. She starts the show with an approach not unlike a school teacher taking a therapy session. Smiling and amiable, bright faced with a firm manner and a loud, clear voice. She has the crowd on her side right from the opening.

We already know that the show is about Viki’s panic attacks, depression and anxiety; and there is a trigger warning at the entrance. One in four of us will have problems with our mental health at some time in our lives. It’s estimated that each year over 1.7 million adults access NHS services for severe or enduring mental health problems and nearly five thousand people are ‘sectioned’. So, the subject matter is a serious one; but Viki has a comic appeal and the show is fun and entertaining. She has a knack for subtle and witty ad libs. She tells her story confidently and works hard, alone on the stage. She engages the onlookers. Audience participation can be over-done in theatre and it often appears lazy, but Viki gets it just about right. We could pity her when we are shown her ‘private and confidential’ letter from the NHS but she has already declared that she has chosen to tell this story, “I am in control” she states determinedly. She stays just on the right side of indulgence; drawing our empathy but remaining positive and honest.

The show becomes increasingly serious; abrupt scene changes and jarring sounds snap us from the laughter to a painful memory. Viki’s performance becomes darker and more theatrical, matched by the lighting and soundtrack. Projections soak the stage as she flashes torches at her own face; her actions grow more animated and primitive. We are drawn more deeply into her world; frightened and vulnerable. This second part of the performance carried a deeper resonance in telling her story but was, frustratingly, shorter than the introduction section.

Born from a last-minute rehearsal room session and already performed in several other stages Help comes to the Wardrobe theatre in Bristol seemingly as a finished show but was still lacking a little in punch and power. Having said that the actor, the material and the performance are all top quality and Viki deserves heaps of credit for bringing the mental health agenda forward through the valiant telling of her own story.   ★★★★☆  Adrian Mantle  23rd February 2018