Rosie’s Brain
Evelyn Rose is a graduate of the same course I am studying at the moment, so seeing her one woman show was both an inspiration and a delight. Rosie’s Brain is an autobiographically inspired exploration of romance while growing up with OCD, with Evelyn playing both "Rosie" and a variety of other characters along her journey.
What I liked
Evelyn has done an incredible job creating distinct characters to surround her in the story, with a combination of voices, posture, and mannerisms to allow for a clear shift as she portrays complex conversations with just herself; I was particularly impressed with the duet nearer the end of the show between Rosie and her boyfriend.
As a person with anxiety, I was curious to see how mental health would be portrayed in the piece, and was very impressed with the care and time Evelyn took to explain the aspects of Anxiety, OCD, and the importance of a therapist you can connect with. In many other musicals the creators seem very hesitant to even label disorders, let alone make clear to the audience the specific symptoms that a character is dealing with. "Rosie's Brain" does a wonderful job of balancing what feels like an authentic depiction of Evelyn's experience of mental health with keeping the tone light and entertaining.
What wasn't my favourite
The only thing I can think of disliking in this show is just that like any show early in development, I always imagine it with higher production value, but I do this as an exercise of excitement, not of upset. A one-woman show is a real feat of talent, but I think there's always the opportunity to make a more authentic performance if the performer doesn't have to worry about logistics. Though there was a pianist to accompany some songs, Evelyn also played guitar at times, which restricted her performance. Similarly, there was the need to have all costumes/props for different characters hidden somewhere on stage for ease of access, instead of more elaborate pieces that could add to the performance. All this to say, I didn't dislike anything, but am instead excited to follow along the show's journey in hopes of seeing it further developed!
Overall
I'm so glad I got to see this show, it was a very enjoyable night out supporting an original work, and it's an inspiration to see how determination can mean having your own show less than a year after graduation.
