Writer: Julia Grogan
Director: Rachel Lemon
Julia Grogan fills the Bewleys Café Theatre with an explosive energy with her one hander You’re So Special. What begins as a clean set of nude curtains and one box, is by the end a littered mess of discarded costume pieces, fluff, and fake blood. The story follows a similar descent from cheery ballet teacher welcome to slightly confusing potential slow dance sob. What happens in between is part comedy, part breakdown, part much needed scrutiny of the absolute nightmare of female hormonal birth control and the overextended NHS.
Grogan is Miss June, a baby ballet teacher (happily acknowledging that no one could realistically be expected to know what that is) whose boyfriend is desperate for a child, and whose boss is looking for definitive proof that she won’t be the next person on the payroll having a baby. Already in her boss’s camp on the subject of procreation she opts for the coil (hormonal we presume, though it isn’t explicitly stated), despite learning of the potential side effects, of which there are many. From there we witness increasing chaos, disaster, and a sharp decline in Miss June’s mental health as she strives to prepare her class for the end of term sharing. Though only 60 minutes, the show is crammed with substance, it spans five quick acts, and makes fantastic use of music (Chris Penty Alvarez) and lighting (Han Sayles).
Grogan is an absolute powerhouse in this. Her energy is off the charts, dancing, singing, screaming, shouting, and humping her way across the stage with a control and precision that is incredible to watch. The writing is flawless, it’s weird and interesting and funny and pointed and even if you can’t understand exactly what everything means (dance number with the nude tights I’m looking at you in particular), it is still completely engrossing. The comedy is relentless; Grogan delightfully parodies capitalism and class, and forces Miss June to keep calm and carry on as the world burns both around her and inside her. Her conversations feel anything but one sided, despite her being the only one on the stage, but best of all are the sharply written monologues that Grogan performs with such absolute passion, that they leave you questioning, just for a moment, whether it is in fact worth worrying about who will remember this troupe of babies if they don’t manage to steal the limelight for themselves. Surely this is heading for another run somewhere, make sure you get there.
Reviewed 14th Sept 2025.
