Review: Overshare, Greenwich Theatre

The theatre industry regularly asks how it could encourage a younger audience. There is no simple single answer: if there were, everyone would be doing it. But I firmly believe Eleanor Hill should be invited to give her thoughts on this topic. More crucially, her show Overshare – even the pre-show marketing, and especially her social media presence – should absolutely be watched and studied by anyone looking at trying to entice and excite those vital under 30s.

Even as someone rather outside that age demographic, I clearly recognise how Overshare must be admired for many reasons; writing (at times incredible funny and others deadly serious), performance, tech (oh the tech!) and its absolutely spot-on handling of mental health and suicidal thoughts. This is a show that really has it all and then just throws in a bit more to show off.

At its most basic, Overshare is the well-trodden story of a young adult going through a downward spiral in her life. The happy-go-lucky woman who talks at 100 miles per hour at the outset slowly transforms into one full of fear and self-loathing, her depression portrayed in a disturbingly truthful manner, whilst her destructive relationship with Mark acts as a major catalyst for it all. There are small details here that those who have experienced similar struggles will know only too well; her recital of an anxiety mantra sends a cold chill down my spine, whilst the toxicity of that relationship is unmistakable and will be uncomfortably relatable to many. That younger audience surely will spot the signs on display.

The writing is marvellous, and on its own would be enough. But by presenting it as a series of livestreamed Insta-reels it is elevated to a whole other level. Each reel is a separate moment in the girl’s life as we watch her implode. And when I say livestreamed, that is literally what it is, as Hill delivers the whole show directly into her tightly clutched phone whilst behind her a video screen presents the broadcast, with cleverly designed graphics and video clips overlaid. When the character informs those watching that “my life isn’t a movie, but you’ve been watching it like one” and accuses the ”voyeur audience” of “getting off on her pain” you wonder if she means us or the imaginary audience on her Insta-reels.

It’s here where you really start to believe it’s a show for a young audience, because when we talk about representation on stage what better way to communicate to a whole generation than to perform it in a way they will completely associate with, phone firmly in hand.

It’s a style Hill first experimented with in Sadvents but has developed even more, with massive credit to Matt Powell for making that tech happen each night. Her phone is constantly moving; from hand, to light ring, to waist harness. Most impressively, a ceiling magnet allows us to watch from above an amazingly choreographed scene (director Lizzie Manwaring’s hand looms large no doubt in this) as she struggles to sleep. You could sit back in wonder at the technological marvel of it all, except you won’t because you will find yourself too invested in the girl’s life to look away for a moment.

Which brings us back to ‘how do we attract a younger audience into theatre?’ This is how. This is surely what young adults need to see on stage: something relevant to them. These themes of mental health struggles shared via social media will surely relate and excite them and hopefully make them want to return for other shows. Overshare IS that gateway show. But more than that, it is a truly incredible piece of theatre that needs to be seen to be believed.

You can hear more about this show in our recent podcast with Eleanor Hill available here.

Written and produced by: Eleanor Hill
Directed and dramaturg by: Lizzie Manwaring
Set design by: Constance Villemot
Video design by: Matt Powell

Overshare plays at Greenwich Theatre (Studio) until Saturday 25 May.