Canal London – until 8 December 2019
Reviewed by Sabrina Fancy
5****
Amanda Broomell wrote and performs this solo show based on her autobiographical accounts of her dating experiences. This one women production follows 40-year-old single Mandy Broomell’s search for a romantic partner. In the process, she ends up finding herself.
Set in the US we follow her ups and downs and learn about her romantic history and the challenges of dating in the modern world. Mandy is smart and very witty and very likeable. She is very funny, narrating many of the pitfalls of dating and explores modern day dating hazards such as ghosting and gaslighting- many of her experiences are very familiar in this disposable dating culture.
Broomell cleverly peppers in snippets and re-worded 80’s and a few 90’s classics to convey her emotions or drive home a point. Some of these included Foreigner’s ‘I Wanna Know What Love Is’ and Human League’s ‘Don’t You Want Me Baby’, sung acapella with Amanda’s lovely voice.
I loved the references to the Bachelor franchise, one of the most popular American realty TV shows about the and the early influences it had on Mandy’s dating perceptions (spoiler- the show is completely unrealistic) and other American pop culture references ‘skinny girl wine.’ We also get to sit in to Mandy’s amusing and insightful sessions with her various therapists.
While there are lots of laughs, the production takes an unexpected dark turn when Mandy narrates her experiences with abuse, body dysmorphia and addiction that she suffered as a result of some traumatic childhood experiences. We see how Mandy uses men for validation and determining herself worth based on how men treat her. It was so sad to see how abuse shapes one’s future ideas on love and relationships. While I found this part of the production very unsettling, I couldn’t help being engaged and moved. There was a real rawness to the performance which I did not expect.
Despite being just one performer, Mandy totally captivated the audience’s attention and is a strong, funny, vulnerable and strong women!
My only complaint of was that it was only an hour long, which left me wanting more! I huge ask considering it was a one woman show! I also found myself feeling extremely uncomfortable by some of Mandy’s revelations which only serves to reinforce that this is a great testament for the quality of the production.
If you can manage to catch this, expect lots of laughs and introspection performed by a very talented individual. My friend and I left having a new appreciation for our husbands and grateful for no longer being in the dating world! I give this a very deserving 5 stars.