Dopa-Mean Girl

Louisa has recently been diagnosed with ADHD. ‘Dopa-Mean Girl’ is her first solo comedy show and her attempt to make sense of her life in the light of her new label. The connection between dopamine and ADHD is still being investigated but what does seem to be clear is that some people with ADHD can be prone to seek out stimulating activities to create their own dopamine boost. No wonder then, perhaps, that Louisa’s reaction to her diagnosis was to create her own (brilliantly titled) show.

Writer and performer Louisa Ní Éideáin opens the show with a helpful introduction for anyone uneasy about attending a comedy show. She explains that she’ll deliver some of the show in Irish Gaelic to recreate the feeling of being neurodiverse and not always fully understanding a situation. She’s warm and endearing from the get go, immediately putting the audience at ease. Her show attracts a certain target audience, she says and judging from the number of people who cheer when she asks how many attendees also have an ADHD diagnosis, she has found her tribe. She’s astute and funny, flinging out socio-political quips at the same swift pace as throwaway lines about sequins. Vibrant, super-sparkly costumes, cute props and a little keyboard on which she accompanies some of her songs, help her bring her story to life.

Louisa is a delightful, charismatic performer brimming with ideas. If she’s aiming for theatre, you might expect a more clearly constructed script though many of her reflections clearly strike a chord with this audience. Her use of Irish is interesting. The show’s title gives her another potential angle. And towards the end of the show, she homes in on the heart of the issue – were the challenges she’s encountered in her life a consequence of her late diagnosis? But she skips over this in a matter of lines, throws off her (sparkly) comfort blanket and swoops back into throwaway lines about manifestations of ADHD. Ultimately, ‘Dopa-Mean Girl’ delivers a vital message about understanding and inclusion but a clearer story would pack all sorts of punch.