Old Red Lion Theatre – 25 January 2024
Reviewed by Claire Roderick
4****
Laura Mugford’s semi-autobiographic one-woman show is an emotional and exhilarating insight into living with chronic illness and the transformative effects of running. Staged as part of FreshFest 2024 by Just a Regular House Productions, this is 60 minutes of powerful storytelling, expertly judged and slickly directed by Connor McCrory to draw the audience in and invest in the Runner (Laura Mugford) and her attempt to run the London Marathon.
With just a treadmill, a rack of clothes and a couple of boxes, Mugford takes us from the battle of Marathon, musing at what the ancient Greeks would say about 21st century athletes desperate to run in an event that killed the first competitor, to pounding the streets of London in the race itself, taking time to hop off her treadmill and stop off at haunting childhood memories along the way.
Mugford’s writing and acting are relatable and sympathetic, with her descriptions of the endless cycle of chronic illness and its impact on her mental health honest and often hilarious. The childhood vignettes – her first running race at sports day, a delightful Bob the Builder dance recital – effortlessly build a heartbreaking picture of a little girl full of joy being crushed little by little by the cruelty of bullies and heartless adults, and as she runs, these ghosts from her past are on her heels.
The verbal imagery of hitting the wall is particularly impressive, and the Runner’s struggle with the physical and mental pain, as well as the pain she carries from the walls she has hit in her life but has never run through, just away from, is heart stopping. Spoiler alert: when she overcomes the pain and describes the release she feels, it is a cathartic, energising and hope-filled moment for the audience too, as this wonderful piece of theatre has swept us along, with the joyful cheers and applause as sincere as if Mugford had just crossed the actual finishing line.