no no no please no god no, nevermind i’m fine gets the prize for best show title this Fringe. It’s a one woman show, presented by the extraordinary Sarina Freda who hails from (just outside) New York City. She plays herself and her show opens with her being interviewed on a talk show by Gwyneth Paltrow. She’s here to talk about how her LSD trip transformed her life. It enabled her to confront her fear and now she feels like she is in control of her life again. The notion is ridiculous but her fresh-faced all-American wide-eyed gambolling sincerity is magnetic.

Her backstory unfolds: a weekend away with a pack of girlfriends and a long-standing crush. House in the country. He has LSD. She maybe feels a little bit pressured into doing it but swiftly sweeps this aside. And then we are flung headlong into the wild ride that is her trip. Freda’s stage at Space Triplex is small but she’s undaunted. Inventive direction (Tom Costello), brilliant use of sound and lights but above all, a stellar physical performance from Freda sees us wallow in her psychedelic adventures. Her comic timing, her mime and use of clowning is pitch perfect (so if she genuinely accidentally tripped over the lights at the start of the show, this is all the more remarkable.) Her trip will leave you blinking.

When she’s coming down (or is she?), flickers of the truth start to emerge. Strained relationships, overlooked obligations, a yearning for one version of her story that triumphs over sense, problematic mental health and a possible dollop of coercive control flash past our eyes. If the latter two are themes, it would be helpful to see them given a bit more signposting to leave the audience in less doubt about the extent of her plight by the time we’re done. But you’ll be left in no doubt that Freda’s character is a master storyteller – and the person most taken in by her story is herself.

no no please fon no, nevermind i’m fine is at theSpaceTriplex – Studio until Sat 24 Aug 2024 at 16:05