Review: Never Get To Heaven In An Empty Shell, The Glitch

Claud, a 20-something professional ghost tour guide, lost her father 10 years ago, and the anniversary of his death is looming. Now living at home with her mum, she is winging her way through life (aren’t we all?). She is a modern young woman, chronically online, with a self-deprecating joke ready to go at any moment. Beneath the humour, though, she is in pain and unable to connect with it, suspended in a perpetual sadness that has affected her entire outlook on herself and her life. Shortly after attending her brother’s wedding, Claud’s last ever tube journey to work leads to a fateful meeting with ghost, Ruth. 

Claudia Fielding, writer and performer, has conjured up both a compelling concept and a sharp script to carry it. Blending dark humour with philosophical takes on grief and loss, Fielding also throws in some theories on what happens after we die. Here, if you have unfinished business or need to learn a final lesson, the “big guy upstairs” will keep you in purgatory, which takes the form of wherever you died; for both Claud and Ruth, it is Angel tube station. The station’s escalator acts as the stairway to heaven and allows ascension only when you are ready – Claud’s investigation and reflection of herself in order to unearth how she can move forwards (or upwards) underpins the entire show. Fielding’s vision plays into the cliche image of Heaven (sound design mostly composed of ethereal harp strums that come in once Claud is pulled into Purgatory by Ruth) and pokes fun by using Angel as the setting, yes, but it works. She disarms with jokes and funny takes, before yanking at the heartstrings, delivering profound truths about just how complex and personal the grieving process is. 

The Glitch’s performance space is configured into a runway-esque stage for this show. The space sometimes limits variation of movement and visibility of Fielding’s fantastic facial expressions and reactions, but it’s clear there were intentional choices made by director Anna Rastelli to help remedy this. 

An Angel tube station sign, composed of red, white and blue garments, stands at one end of the runway, a reminder of where Claud is while journeying through her memories. (Clothes are thematically important; Claud has kept her father’s clothes at the back of her wardrobe and, upon realising she must let go, lays them about the stage.)

Claud as a character is sympathetic and likeable, although pessimistic and prone to using humour as a coping mechanism. Fielding’s characterisations (including Claud’s sister, manager, various dates, and the barman at her local) are strong and defined, but the introduction of elderly Ruth is where the show fully hits its stride. Ruth tries to help Claud see things from a more positive standpoint and comments that young people are more sad than ever; Claud pushes back against that claim. Their bickering is endearing, like they already know each other – the connection between Claud’s ugly jumper and Ruth makes this back-and-forth even better. Regrettably, there are a few time jumps that muddle the timeline a little, and as Ruth’s scenes are so strong, her introduction could have come sooner. 

Fielding’s sincere performance, coupled with her punchy script, prompts reflection on life after death, urging the importance of allowing ourselves to let go, whilst acknowledging that this takes time. This is both a show that has understandably been well received by its audiences and a writer-performer to keep tabs on, for sure. 

Written & Performed by Claudia Fielding
Direction & Music by Anna Rastelli

Never Get to Heaven in an Empty Shell has completed its performances at The Glitch