Review: Bubbly - WIP (Camden People’s Theatre)

Review by Angel Nield

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Mental health has become a much-needed hot topic in recent years, and has inspired many conversations across the media. There have been a number of musicals written and staged that shine an important light on these once heavily stigmatised topics, from the 2009 Tony Award-winning Next to Normal’s depiction of bipolar disorder, to the 2016 fan-favourite Dear Evan Hansen which deals with teenage social anxiety. The first public presentation of the work in progress production Bubbly seems well on its way to joining the ranks of these notable long-running productions with its highly relatable portrayal of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), a disorientating break between who you are and who you see that affects around a million people in the UK. Cleverly written and full of both dark humour and heartfelt relatability, this new musical shows considerable potential for a full-length production.

Diet culture has been rife in women’s social spaces for years. With the omnipresent pressure of social media, endless diet trends and the recurring resurgence of ideals such as ‘heroin chic’, now accompanied by weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic, it is no surprise that the pressure to be ‘perfect’ affects women of every generation. Bubbly follows Hannah (Emily Hespe), a young woman in her early 20s living with BDD, who is going home one last time for a family dinner before her mother sells her childhood home. However, she isn’t alone: her childhood ‘friends’ Hailey (Georgie Lagden) and Holly (Rebecca d’Lacey) are with her at every turn, but it’s clear that they aren’t always the BFFs they initially appear to be. Confronted by her well-meaning but frequently misinterpreted mum, Hannah can no longer keep her long-hidden memories and trauma neatly packed away in the moving boxes.

With a book by Rachel Moriarty and lyrics by Mark Nathan and Carolyn Holt, Bubbly is full of both dark comedy and highly emotive, relatable moments, balanced well throughout its 60-minute runtime. The show opens with a humorous number in which the three ‘friends’ speak their comic daily affirmation, ‘Which me will I be today?’, into the universe. It was clear from the audience’s first laughs how well people of all ages would relate to the themes discussed in this production. While this humour can at times be used as a deflection or mask, there is a strong message lurking beneath the surface with no shortage of depth, particularly in its exploration of the true identities of Hailey and Holly through the lens of self-protection. This mirrors the story itself, balancing the seriousness of its themes with a show full of relatable humour. It is an incredibly effective approach, encouraging laughs and murmurs of agreement while still conveying its important real-world message.

With only a week’s rehearsal time, it would have been easy to leave the cast standing stock-still and reading from scripts in a bare space, yet under Em Sparkes and Mia Grant’s direction, a realistic world with the promise of more is created. From humorous and highly relatable friendship-group dynamics to the headbutts and heartbreak of a mother-daughter relationship, Sparkes and Grant have taken great care to remain respectful, realistic and creative in their treatment of the subject matter at its heart. It is a thoroughly modern piece that sadly remains relevant to people of all ages. Finding the perfect balance between dark comedy and pockets of light while remaining true to its more serious moments is no mean feat. The directorial team succeeds at all of the above and more, and it is clear that there are many ideas for developing this incredible little show into something bigger and better. With so much material to build on, this production clearly has the potential for a fully staged life in a similar fringe venue, given the time and resources to develop beyond this promising starting point.

Playing the leading role of Hannah is Emily Hespe, who has been with the show since its conception workshop back in August. Hespe has clearly put considerable research into BDD, and the result is a respectful, emotive and accurate portrayal of the very real internal battle the character is facing. Hespe balances emotional depth with a great sense of dark humour, while her strong vocals convey Hannah’s anguish, hurt and pain. The role gives her considerable emotional range, yet her performance remains grounded in the reality of the topics covered.

Although it is a smaller role, Gemma Goggin is no small actor as Hannah’s mum, balancing the humour of the technologically hindered, middle-aged mum with the depth of a lifetime of hidden anxieties. Goggin’s performance is highly relatable as the generational effects of diet culture and the media on women’s self-image are explored in the latter half of the production. She is scene-stealing during the climactic breakdown between mother and daughter, followed by a heart-to-heart that leads to the mutual understanding that all families dream of.

Hespe as Hannah is backed up by her wingwomen Hailey and Holly, played by Georgie Lagden and Rebecca d’Lacey respectively. Both women play very different roles, yet capture the perfect balance between humour and realism throughout. Lagden’s Hailey is a mirror of one effect that the constant messaging of ‘smaller is better’ can have on women: she is an obsessive exerciser, diet controller and self-punisher fuelled by negative self-talk, yet she never becomes a caricature of a very real problem. While Hannah initially believes Hailey to be the disciplined and focused person she wishes she could be, it is clear from her later solo moment that this is not the case. In a role parodying gossip magazines and 1990s fitness DVDs, she is full of pent-up anger, bitterness and dark humour, poking fun at the ridiculousness of the weight-loss methods discussed as the mask finally falls away. All three girls bounce off one another effortlessly and sing in beautiful three-part harmonies throughout, really creating the impression of a close-knit, long-term friendship group from the start.

The standout performer in this production is Rebecca d’Lacey as Holly, who is initially portrayed as effortlessly beautiful, confident, hypersexual and sarcastically witty. Her comic timing is always spot on, with a hint of underlying masking evident throughout. Just as with Hailey, Holly seemingly has no trouble attracting male attention or compliments on her looks which Hannah dreams of receiving, however when the mask finally slips whilst looking through old photos at the family dinner, an emotionally charged breakdown reveals her inner vulnerabilities her outward appearance is a coverup for. Rebecca d’Lacey delivers this show-stopping solo with full emotional gusto, leaving nothing unsaid and everything on the floor as Holly finally lets go of the mask and reveals how deep her inner pain cuts. Her Holly is sadly a realistic portrayal of so many women’s experiences and she treats this with the utmost respect, never leaning into stereotypes or judgment. 

Although scripts remained present on stage, these were barely noticeable as the simple black-box space, littered with packing boxes and three stools, was transformed into a realistic and relatable mirror of the story at its heart. The performers worked well to transform the space for each scene, using the aforementioned boxes to create windows, tables and other set pieces relevant to both a small city flat and a larger family home. The small, intimate space really made you feel like you were in the flat or at the kitchen table with the family, experiencing the laughs, tears, conflicts and heart-to-hearts with them. This cosy approach to a four-hander worked exceptionally well, with the space well utilised given the time limitations. It is clear that this production has the potential to work well in other intimate venues such as The Other Palace or Southwark Playhouse.

With only a week’s rehearsal and a 60-minute runtime, Bubbly is an impressively intimate and affecting exploration of an oft-talked-about yet significantly misunderstood subject, asking what happens when the things women are taught to feel about their bodies are passed quietly down through generations. It is an emotionally charged yet darkly funny production that explores what it means to be confident and ashamed, careful and chaotic, angry and apathetic: to be multiple women all at once.

Bubbly was a one night only work in progress production that took place at Camden People’s Theatre on 27th October 2026.

Photo by Charlie Conybeare.