Oh My Pain, My Beautiful Pain! – Pleasance, London

Writer: Evie Fehilly

Director: John King

Oh My Pain, My Beautiful Pain! is an achingly good satire on the modern demand for creatives to showcase their pain for critical approval. The fictitious production incorporates drag, cabaret and clowning to tell a story that is raw, brave, vulnerable and definitely, definitely real.

Presented by Relish Theatre, who consistently champion new LGBTQ+ writing, Oh My Pain, My Beautiful Pain! is one of three productions comprising the company’s Spring 2025 season, curated around the theme of ‘restoration’. Currently playing in repertoire with Acid’s Reign, both Pleasance productions also share a strong focus on artistic integrity and personal sacrifice.

Natalia (Evie Fehilly) used to make work that was fun, experimental and niche, but then she skyrocketed into the spotlight with an autobiographical show about her trauma. She rode her painful past right to the top, excited to achieve the artistic freedom that comes with fame… but now it’s all anybody wants from her. With no more personal experiences left to exploit, Natalia needs a new source of trauma and she will do whatever it takes to get it.

Writer and performer Fehilly does a stellar job of crafting a complex comedy lead. The amusing way Natalia agonises over her lack of misfortune is deliberately shallow, yet also manages to be quite affecting at points. This is a credit to Fehilly’s captivating performance of anguish which makes the protagonist’s craving to be relevant feel genuinely sad.

Natalia is certainly not a likeable character, but fellow creatives may relate in some way to the desperation she exhibits. Her fixation and methods may be unhinged, but Natalia is ultimately the victim of a cold industry in which pain is only tolerated if it’s marketable. Within this lens of understanding her overall motivation, her actions become even more cringeworthy, in an extremely entertaining way.

Posey Mehta and John-Luke Roberts are outstanding, supporting the storytelling as multi-role performers. Both showcase a strong range of characters, each of which is unique, clearly defined and skilfully executed. Roberts garners sympathy as Natalia’s endearing, devoted husband, while Mehta is particularly memorable as her brash, chain-smoking agent.

It must be noted that an element of refinement is required for some production elements, such as the sound quality of certain tracks which aren’t the easiest to understand. Most importantly, the projections at the back of the stage often provide additional, and sometimes key context or humour; yet these are regularly blocked by ill-placed clothing rails.

Oh My Pain, My Beautiful Pain! is an intelligent and surprisingly hard-hitting show for anyone trying to make their mark in the industry. Packing in plenty of comedy, this weird, wonderful production is wildly entertaining from start to finish.

Runs until 1 March 2025