★★★★
Have you ever been unable to sleep to the point where you start hallucinating? That you are diagnosed with psychosis? That you go around claiming to be Jesus incarnate? This is the story of Margot Mansfield, who aged 19 began experiencing Brief Limited Intermittent Psychotic Symptoms, or B.L.I.P.S. This show, named after the condition, is a self-reflective mixture of circus, dark comedy, and theatre that vividly presents an idea of what B.L.I.P.S can do to you.
B.L.I.P.S is an incredibly eclectic show. Its tone feels like it twists and turns from impressive acrobatics to dark comedy on a whim. Far from being a problem, it is a resurrection of Mansfield’s diverging lines of thought, paranoia, and restlessness that came with such a chronic lack of rest. She stresses the impact of low sleep on the human body and on physical health, including one particularly illuminating observation about the invention of the lightbulb and what that meant for human sleep.
The hula hooping, handstands, and floor-based acrobatics are impressive, drawing you into Mansfield’s memories and states of mind. It is at times a breathless and incredibly fun show that masks the reality, Mansfield’s mind getting the better of her as the B.L.I.P.S takes hold. By the end, she is determined to manage and overcome the condition, looking ahead to a more hopeful future. It feels almost like she pushes and explores her potential onstage to try and manifest this future before your eyes. It makes for an incredibly soulful, impassioned performance that draws you in with its physicality and drama.
A moving and deeply personal look at welfare and a mind in sleep-deprived freefall, B.L.I.P.S’ greatest achievement is how it manages to find consistency with such a wide variety of sketches and bits. Mansfield is fantastic and brings the show to life with such a potent mixture of charisma and vulnerability (not to mention strength) that has you rooting for her the entire way through. As you should be, because what B.L.I.P.S makes abundantly clear is that the road has not been easy, and just getting here is worthy of a standing ovation.
B.L.I.P.S is being performed at Summerhall – Old Lab until 26th August as part of Edinburgh Fringe 2024.
Words by James Hanton
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