Rita Lynn: Life Coach is a high-energy one-woman show starring Louise Marwood. She plays the role of Imogen, who is struggling with a coke addiction, although she is open to any drug, it seems. She’s in a toxic relationship with her addict enabler boyfriend and cannot seem to get over her failed dance career. The only thing she seems to care about other than drugs is her boyfriend’s son, and it is this relationship which draws any sort of emotional response from the audience. Imogen creates the character of Rita Lynn, a life coach for wealthy housewives, in order to earn herself some money and enable her addiction.
Listed as a dark comedy, I was heavily disappointed by the lack of humour in this show, with a lot of the jokes falling flat. There was also not enough distinction in Marwood’s characterisation to know who she was playing and when. In my opinion, the show would have been much more effective if each character was cast, rather than a solo show.
Its commentary on drug use’s negative effects is subtle, with Imogen’s chaotic life being allowed to speak for itself. There is a lack of seriousness overall until the very end of the show, with Imogen grieving for the loss of her best friend, scared she herself will also die of an overdose, and reminiscing over her relationship with her boyfriend’s son. This is where we see the full extent of Marwood’s talent emerge; it is only a shame that Rita Lynn: Life Coach didn’t allow her to express this depth of character more.
Some gimmicks in the show I felt could have been committed to more if they used some graphics or more interesting lighting choices. For example, with the faux beauty pageant, it was difficult to work out what was trying to be achieved. The same could be said for the section with Marwood lip-syncing lyrics to some music, interjected with lines from Imogen’s boyfriend.
Overall, Rita Lynn: Life Coach had an interesting concept but felt as if a lot of the ideas hadn’t been fully developed. The high-energy performance that Marwood brought was not matched by any of the other elements of the show.
