Alphabetti Theatre, Newcastle – until 7th June 2025
Reviewed by Sandra Little
4****
This show is the latest offering from Alphabetti Theatre which is a great little theatre tucked in a corner of Newcastle. Shit Life Crisis is a one hour performance written by Olivia Hannah and starring Florence Odumosu and Madeleine MacMahon. It explores the impact of cancer on the day to day lives of two young women. The play begins in a local shabby pub, The Slippery Duck, where Grace (played by Florence Odumosu) is hosting a sing-along memorial for her “full of life” friend and cancer buddy Abbie ( played by Madeleine MacMahon ). From this point the play goes back in time and explores the relationship which unfolds between Abbie and Grace on their cancer treatment journey. We learn that life is boring for Grace and there are financial issues because of her inability to work. She also feels guilty because her parents are rearranging their lives due to her illness and she also experiences some mental health issues.
The third character in this play is Lily (also played by Madeleine MacMahon ). Grace’s friendship with Lily is best summed up when Grace tells us that Lily made her realise how lucky she was to have Abbie as a friend!
Much of the dialogue in the show has a straightforward, uncomplicated style, however there are phrases that really do have weight and are able to convey powerful messages . An example of this is when Abbie tells Grace that, “ love is a verb, it’s something you do.”
Although the subject matter of this show might seem very bleak, there are also quite joyous moments. The karaoke songs are both uplifting and great fun. Both girls have great voices and are well capable of blasting out a tune, however I felt that Florence Odumosu’s singing was particularly good. The audience are invited to join in with the karaoke numbers which include River Deep, Mountain High and Tracy Chapman’s, Baby Can I Hold You Tonight, along with several disco themes in between.
There is a diverse range of emotions covered in this performance in a single hour alongside some ironic moments. We learn for example that the memorial arranged by Grace is for her “full of life chemo buddy” who has recently died. I learned so much about about the impact of cancer on the day to day lives of survivors from this production and I must confess this is a topic I hadn’t given a great deal of thought to before watching Shit Life Crisis.
The show includes strong language and sexual content and is recommended for audiences over 16 years old.