The Fringe is awash with stand-up routines and whimsical comedy musicals, and so if something dark and gritty is what you have found yourself searching for, then this will not disappoint. Her Raving Mind is a three-hander exploring eating disorders, marital abuse, and psychotic breakdowns (forewarned is forearmed) that leaves the viewer rattled and intrigued.
Set in an intense therapy session, the pièce de résistance of the performance is the techno rave music and subsequent clubbing action from protagonist El that occurs when verging on a therapeutic breakthrough. While this does feel somewhat like a return to school drama performances, it successfully attempts to speak to the delirium of confronting past trauma.
There are moments when Her Raving mind feels slightly confused as to its intended focus, shifting from childhood emotional trauma to marital physical abuse as the centre of dissection. Equally, it does not reach a natural conclusion but drowns out the final speech with music and inexplicable gunshots, leaving the viewer at a loss as to the resolution of the performance.
While the content of the piece feels fractured at times, the disturbed reality the performers aim to create is there and, in leaving the viewer to make up their own mind regarding the finale, Her Raving Mind certainly leaves a lasting impression.
Her Raving Mind, Just the Tonic, until 24 Aug (not 12), 1.35pm