Outpatient

Belly Laughs

Outpatient

by Harriet Madeley

Reading Rep Company and Crowded Room at the Reading Rep Theatre until 19^th October

Review by Sam Martin

The simplicity and honesty of Outpatient left me holding my breath.  Harriet Madeley captures the fear and sense of isolation that is so relatable when we contemplate death.  I was rooting for Olive, gasped at the twists and turns in her life and felt enormous emotion come the end of the hour-long play.  Yet, I haven’t laughed out loud so much in quite some time!

Outpatient is a solo performance that explores the central character of Olive and her ambition as a journalist.  Desperate to clinch a publishing deal to put her on the map, she decides to tackle the seemingly silent subject of death.   Her search for subjects to interview lead her to a palliative care unit … and her own close encounter as she is diagnosed with Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC).  Cue a run of close to the wire gags, outrageous dialogue and tongue in cheek quips as she searches for meaning amid her own anguish, whilst still trying to write a captivating piece.

Madelaine Moore’s direction supports the juxtaposition of Madeley’s humour and seriousness.   This interplay continues throughout using comedy to relax the audience, unpeel the tension of the subject matter and to tease us into moments of cringing on Olive’s behalf.   However, the stark contrast of the reality of Olive’s condition brought the audience up short, pulled the rug from beneath us and time and time again left us in our own thoughts of the ultimate end for us all.   One choice of note was the use of projection which visually represented the disease, pulsing and moving as a testament to its realness and ability to progress.   This recurring motif acted as a reminder of what Olive was facing, a presence in her every day and a symbol of her conflict.   In a similar way, Moore’s choice to rope off the stage space, defining Olive’s world with only her in it was a painful representation of her feeling of isolation.  Moore’s direction is clean and clever, inviting us in emotionally, but also daring us to intellectually engage also. 

Harriet Madelay’s performance itself was incredible.  Carrying a show alone is no mean feat, and she excelled in her timing between the pre-recorded speech to represent dialogue, as well as her pacing as the character’s emotions moved through this rollercoaster of a narrative.   She played the role with heartfelt authenticity despite the stylistic choice to exaggerate, and at times play on the performative nature of directly addressing the audience.  The heightened delivery fuelled the audience not only to invest in her story, but also to navigate the subject matter with warmth and furthermore to interrogate the reasons why we tend to shy away from talking about death.

I’m not sure exactly what I expected when reading the play’s blurb, but I came away genuinely smiling and filled with joy at something that was both funny and poignant, outrageous and heart-wrenching … thought-provoking and a damn good piece of theatre. 

Sam Martin, October 2024

Photography courtesy of Reading Rep