Writers: Edi de Melo and Patricia Godinho
“Please. Thank You. Sorry” is the mantra every girl is made to learn, but when Lyssa, a successful barrister, diverts from this sexist advice, she finds herself served with an NDA and a career in tatters. Maybe spending time with an AI therapist will put her back on track. It’s an intriguing premise by writers Edi De Melo and Patricia Godinha, but the short, patchy scenes that drip-feed the narrative only end in confusing matters.
Why, for instance, does Lyssa (played by Godinho) seek help from an AI bot that freely admits that it is still learning on the job when she could find experienced human therapists instead? And why does De Melo spend most of the play’s 55-minutes sitting behind a desk, only speaking to mansplain the situation to Lyssa when the AI bot has failed to instil enough self-worth in Lyssa for her to return to chambers?
These unanswered questions take away from the main story of sexual harassment at work. When up for potential partnership in the law firm, Lyssa is the recipient of the unwelcome hand of her boss on her thigh. It’s unclear whether he assaults her any further, but Lyssa only reports him to HR after she is passed over for partnership, allowing people, like her boyfriend, to suspect her of making it up in revenge for not getting the promotion.
Mingled in with this narrative are flashbacks to Lyssa’s childhood: a fight with a boy at school, which results in her suspension; some business with a diary, although it’s not quite clear who the “you” is in this scene; a One Direction concert when Harry pulls her up onto the stage. These flashbacks are all entertaining, but they don’t really benefit the main story.
For a play showing only for two nights as part of this year’s Peckham Fringe, Godinho is well-rehearsed and doesn’t miss a beat, responding to the many sound cues with ease. As a woman who grew up watching Legally Blonde, Lyssa has her own heroes, although to certain members in the audience, perhaps the name Ellie Woods needs more context if they are to get the jokes.
As it is now, the two narratives in Please Thank You Sorry – an AI therapist; sexual harassment – jostle uncomfortably for dominance. Perhaps Godinho and De Melo need to return to that desk for some rejigging of the script.
Runs until 23 May 2026
Peckham Fringe runs until 5 June 2026
