Review

A camera flash opening signifies the main character’s discomfort at celebrity lifestyles. Holed-up in a London hotel room, successful designer Stephanie Canworth revisits her past, facing current insecurities and resisting potentially life-changing temptation. The set is simple, shiny and plush but lacking the sense of home and belonging van Outen’s character craves.

Songs from the 80s and 90s (Culture Club, David Gray, Donna Summer, Soft Cell...) break up her mildly comic tales of woe but jar with the show’s overall feel. Van Outen’s voice is strong and alone she manages to hold audience interest, despite being the sole cast member, but her almost classical renditions of each normally upbeat song fail to gel with her character’s exceedingly contrasting Chelmsford voice. Occasionally breaking the fourth wall, van Outen’s monologue manages to evoke sympathy and a character to root for. Phone calls, facebook updates and text messages shape her story, cleverly providing outside plot interest.

On-stage costume changes give the show a naturalistic feel while seagull sound effects, hospital strip lights and strobe lights suspend our disbelief as we travel through Stephanie’s back catalogue of experience.

Van Outen and co-writer Terry Ronald’s narrative tackles serious issues like infidelity and fertility but also provides light relief, targeting a mixed audience to ensure there’s at least one laugh-out-loud moment for all watching. Tales of London Eye cystitis and stories of being busted in economy underwear raise a smile but it’s the cruder lines that get the laughs (“A face like a fox licking sh*t out of a thistle...”).

Although it elicits a strong performance from van Outen and is captivating viewing, Some Girl I Used To Know lacks fluidity and feels like a buy-one-get-one-free mish-mash of a show. There’s certainly promise of greater things to come but in the meantime van Outen can file this one away in the memory bank as a useful writing lesson.