Cringe Effect unfolds in a Portland Anorexia Rehabilitation Centre where Ce, a long-time anorexia struggler, confides in her audience about her treatment journey.
Blends fantasy and fact with confidence and charm
It is worth mentioning at the outset that this is - as one might expect - very, very strong stuff and may trigger. But it is also affirming, inspirational and, perhaps more surprisingly, very funny.
Ceceilia Marshall is magnetic as Ce: initially all toothpaste smiles and wholesome girl-next-door vibes. She talks us through scenes of her life with a shrewd and engaging eye for the ridiculous. This includes sessions at her recovery centre, where the narrative is deftly drawn to tempt the audience into conspiracy with the control which lies at the heart of her illness.
Once a carefree little girl with silly pastimes and a loving - if somewhat too focused on perfection - family; before long, anorexia has its grip on Ce's life, inveigling its way into every interaction and activity; every sleeping and waking moment.
Marshall switches between playing Ce and creating a succession of saccharine therapists, well-meaning family and friends, and even the embodiment of anorexia with ease. And these caricatures and the humour woven into the self-deprecatory narrative not only lift the piece from becoming too preachy, but deepen the sense of sadness that Ce's outwardly cheery persona is protecting.
This is a brave and brutal piece which blends fantasy and fact with confidence and charm. And theatre is perhaps the perfect medium through which to share the bruising realities of a disorder characterised by artifice, pretence and discipline; the layers of performance truth mirroring the constant grapples with acknowledgement, deceit, and rehabilitation.
