Sally MacKenzie (Madeleine MacMahon) is happy, most of the time. Well, she thinks she is ‘even though I am smiling, inside everything is going wrong'. There is no reason for her depression - and that’s hard to accept.
She has a fractured relationship with her mum; ‘you know you can talk to me about anything, just nothing serious’. Following Sally’s upwards but somehow mostly downwards trajectory, we shadow her journey through life. From the things that make her feel better to drinking marguerites’ at Disney Land, from meeting Toby to cutting her wrists. Sally sees it all and her perception mixes her moods.
Sally MacKenzie is going to change the world, but her manic episodes make her fearful, elated and, inter alia, ruin every relationship she has in her life. The medication and the counselling help, but what happens when you feel you are.
A Super Happy Story is pivotal for our times. Coming out of the pandemic has left people suffering from all forms of anxiety, depression and all its associated feelings are heightened and there is a distinct feeling of loss. ASHS presents at a time that is critical and I urge people to watch this relevant piece of art. I am of the opinion that this should be shared and viewed across all platforms; such is the importance of the message to ‘just keep talking’.
The show is written by double Olivier Award winner Jon Brittain with music by Matthew Floyd Jones and is available here.
Review: Kay Johal