by Laura Kressly

Jess and Victoria are best pals and girlbosses extraordinaire. As a response to what they see as too much sadness in the world, they’ve developed a five-step approach to “change ourselves and those around us”. The satire of self-help seminars, relentless positivity in the face of personal and societal collapse, and late-stage capitalism’s grifter culture is smart and initially silly, but underpinned by a serious message.

The two performers, clad in bright-coloured suits, have fantastic chemistry and energy levels. They dance, chat with each other and the audience, and hawk their product with earnest conviction. It’s evident that this is a scam and like most lies, it falls down eventually when shallow platitudes fail to address their real problems. This collapse gives more insight into the characters, and effectively mirrors our search for any kind of sticking plaster that takes away the pain of grief.

The story arc is a satisfying one, though there’s room for a more in-depth exploration of being in our feelings and how to cope with loss. We learn a little about the cores of these women underneath their perky exteriors, and it effectively emerges from the seminar framework, but there’s only really a glimpse. Of course, festival time constraints are also a factor here. A slightly longer show would enable them to really delve into the darkness underlying their shiny and smiley outsides.

Help Yourself runs through 27 September.

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