So far Sunny Girl is the only show on the GM Fringe featuring an actual stage set. Washing lines feature a collection of eccentric items, while a somewhat ramshackle garden—including soft toys as well as furniture and pot plants—covers the stage.
This, explains Erin (author and sole performer Beth Westbrook), is her memory palace intended to remind her of key events in her life which support her contention she is autistic. It is not only medical professionals who doubt Erin’s claim. Her boyfriend misheard, thought she said ‘artistic’ and signed her up for painting classes, while her mother believed she was a Taurus. More significantly, her older sister, with whom Erin has a tense relationship, is a junior doctor and feels Erin has shagged too many people to be on the spectrum.
One can understand their doubts; Erin does not conform to the image of autism portrayed in movies and TV. Far from being ‘Rain Man’, she is ‘Sunny Girl’. She is not a savant, being hopeless at maths and having dropped out of university very early. The examples she puts forward of obsessive behaviour are mundane rather than spectacular—she is so devoted to Taylor Swift, she was kicked out of the fan club for singing too loud.
Erin does not have a particularly attractive personality; her determination could be interpreted as being a right little madam. However, using her memory palace and the signs of autism as a guide, Erin explores memories which point towards deeper issues and a possible explanation. As a child, Erin was obsessed with animals but found the noise and smell of zoos to be overwhelming. Her social anxiety was so great, she could never manage to complete a sleepover with her friends, and eventually they took the hint and stopped issuing invitations. Erin is ashamed to recall the death of her beloved grandfather was traumatic not only because of the sense of loss but also because it disrupted the routine around which her weekends were built.
Tonight’s performance is promoted as ‘relaxed’, so the audience can come and go as they please. This classification is ironic, as there is an underlying tension on stage. Beth Westbrook is not a natural performer, her voice lacking the neutral tone of a trained speaker and her stance occasionally awkward. Director Imogen Dowding turns potential liabilities into strengths by using these features as evidence of authenticity rather than lack of professionalism.
At key points, Westbrook loses the thread of the narrative and must start over. It is clearly rehearsed—surtitles to the rear of the stage which show the script feature the lapses. The point is made, therefore, that for Erin, the show is not simply an entertainment but an effort, however stumbling, to make sense of confusing events in her life and confirm her identity. The investigation process helps Erin to resolve the conflict with her sister and clarifies misgivings which have been building about her relationship with her boyfriend. Having finally secured the long-desired diagnosis, she is confident enough to identify not as ‘autistic’ but as ‘Erin’.
Sunny Girl takes an original approach to a sensitive subject and introduces theatregoers to an unusual but appealing character.