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Breathe

 
Paul T. Davies Review by Paul T. Davies 5 Published: 16 Oct 2025 Headgate Theatre Show Dates: 14 Oct 2025-18 Oct 2025

After a long hiatus, it is so good to have Colchester-based professional company 3 Wishes back on our stages. Their revival of 4:48 Psychosis was an award winner at Colchester Fringe last year. Their interpretation of Hobson’s Choice in the summer threw new light on a classic text, and now they stage Breathe, one of the best new plays I have seen this year.

Stage imagery that will stay with the audience for a long time

Playwright Jazz Ely has constructed a superb play that looks at her own mental health issues and also how the systems set up to support people consistently fail. Sam and Callum hope to start a family, but her somatic OCD presents many challenges. Audacious in its comedy, she is serenaded by Michael Burst-Your-Bublé, a crooner who murders the classics in a hilarious style. There are many different approaches taken to the subject, and laughter dies as the seriousness of the condition is played out beautifully by this excellent ensemble.

As Sam, Claire Walkinshaw is the heart of the play, and she is adept at handling the tonal changes with ease, delivering information in a lively performance that never loses sight of the key messages. The rest of the cast multi-role, and Ed Ismail is a strong, calm, patient presence as her boyfriend Callum, giving a performance full of dignity, frustration and support. Shania Grace Thompson beautifully captures young Sam, bringing shocking events from her childhood vividly to life. Adrienne Thornley is particularly effective as the therapist, and Lisa Wakley is excellent in every role.

But it’s the ever-watchable Dean Bartholomew who almost steals it with his comedy skills, a brilliant Bublé and a particularly moving performance as Sam’s dad. They all serve the text with commitment and sensitivity, and the pace is spot on, aided by excellent movement direction from Tia Winterbottom.

Director Wendy Smith has guided and shaped this team into crafting an unforgettable piece of theatre. The design by Jane Fisher has transformed the Headgate space, and the construction team are to be congratulated for their hard work. The lighting design by George Emberson is astonishingly good – the darkness in our mental health always there, but light always piercing and shining through.

Written from personal experience, the strength of the play is in its avoidance of self-indulgence, instead being practical and personal, creating stage imagery that will stay with the audience for a long time.

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The Blurb:

Breathe…by Jazz Ely3wishes theatre CIC

Sam and her partner, Callum, make the big decision to start a family, until Michael ‘burst your’ Bublé shows up with his band of breathers. Plagued by the past, taunted by TikTok, obsessed with breathing, blinking, swallowing…Sam’s story is not linear, and neither is recovery.   Playing on the boundaries of theatrical form, this quirky ensemble piece goes head to head with OCD. Funny, surprising and loaded with humanity, this UK premiere is written by Jazz Ely, an exciting new artist in Colchester’s creative scene.   Cast includes: Dean Bartholomew, Ed Ismail, Shania-Grace Thompson, Adrienne Thornley, Lisa Wakely, Claire Walkinshaw.  https://www.facebook.com/3wish... for 16+. Strong language. Loud sounds. Flashing lights. Themes of OCD and mental health issues.