See You Tomorrow is pretty upfront about the kind of story it’s going to be. Even without the content warnings projected across the ceiling, the premise: a woman wakes up in the middle of the street, with no memory of how she got there, induces an immediate and familiar anxiety.
It soon becomes clear that our protagonist, Harrie, played by Beth Lindsay, has been drugged and seriously assaulted. The story follows the aftermath: police reports, sexual health screenings, panic attacks, and finding the strength to keep walking forward.
Beth Lindsay buzzes with anxious energy. For the first 15 minutes she careens about the stage, sucking anxiously on a vape pen and downing a pint of wine. It’s always interesting to review an actor who is playing off-kilter, because you spend the first 20 minutes trying to work out if they’re overacting or giving the performance of their lives. Lindsay quickly proves that she knows what she’s doing as she guides us through the 5 stages of grief.
Tech plays a central role in See You Tomorrow, but it augments rather than overtakes the story. Projections across the ceiling provide narrative and emotional context, serving both a practical and storytelling purpose. Particularly memorable is when graphic drawings appear across the ceiling, with Harrie imagining creepy men crushed to death on the London Tube. Written down it sounds comedic, but in context the sequence is crushingly sad.
Sound, too, is used highly effectively. As the audience enters, a trap music track plays through the speakers, while a singing, moaning, intoxicated voice accompanies the beat. Later, prerecorded voice actors play the part of friends, family and trial witnesses. Sound distortion and lighting techniques convey panic attacks and PTSD.
Lindsay is also the writer of See You Tomorrow, based on her own experiences. The word ‘powerful’ is overused, particularly at the Fringe. But here, there is no word more accurate. At several points throughout the show I found myself holding back tears. And I know I wasn’t the only one.
A real gem of a show. If you feel OK with the subject matter, I’d say don’t miss it.
Listings and ticket information can be found here
