This one woman show performed by the spectacular Martha Godber is entirely something I will never forget as my first show at The Fringe. Its minimalistic staging and soundtrack of club-classics from the likes of Raye, Dua Lipa, and Calvin Harris frame a snippet of the humorous yet dark life of carer Jesse North in the city of Hull.
Clocking off after a long draining week of work and living for an “out-out” Friday night with her best mates, Jesse searches for connection and escape. Amongst club dance breaks, drunken shags, and kebab shop visits before an unexpected 6am work-start the following morning, we are given an insight to the emotional burden of care work. Full of witty anecdotes on “spaceship vapes” and “Turkey-teethed” men on the prowl at your local shitty club I was left laughing and cringing at what was an all too familiar night-out experience.
Themes of mental illness – OCD in particular – were flawlessly embedded throughout Godber’s writing and performance of Jesse North, in her rhythm of speech and her movements. I felt as if I was watching the show the way Jesse lived life – motion to motion – searching for connections in a world of disconnected people. Martha Godber wasn’t afraid to make you cringe, laugh, and question morally ambiguous decisions that made Jesse seem so genuine. The topics addressed were not pushed aside by the laughs and background murmuring of “One kiss is all it takes… fallin’ in love with me…” but rather helped bring to the forefront of the performance how prevalent mental health struggles are in everyday life, even situations intended to be a form of escapism.
Following on from what seemed a never-ending night, Jesse meets Betty for her first care job of the day. This raw, emotive interaction reflecting on wants, loneliness, and love through the ages left me, honestly, slightly teary eyed. However, I do feel this final portion of the performance could have taken up slightly more of the run-time to further show Jesse’s dedication to her care work. But regardless, I am immensely glad I caught Martha Godber as Jesse North at this year’s Fringe.
Jesse North Is Broken is running from 16-20 August in 33 Upstairs at Pleasance Courtyard. Buy tickets here.
Image provided as press material by the John Godber Company.
