Marshmallow Me - A one-woman Tour de force

Rosie Pepper as Ruby

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This is a powerful rollercoaster of emotions that does not let up in its 70-minute single act duration.

Rosie Pepper plays Ruby, who moves from her native Scarborough to London with the dream of becoming an actor. Starting out like a fish out of water, faced with the constant pressures juggling accommodation, friends, jobs, money, auditions and lack of opportunities, her life starts to feel out of control. As things spiral downwards, Ruby finds a way to cope and feel in control; the eating disorder, bulimia.

We see how Ruby's' eating disorder affects her in the form of binging on large amounts of food and then purging herself. The feeling of control is short-lived and causes shame and guilt as the bulimia gradually becomes worse and worse.

Using a simple but effective set made up of various sized suitcases that are used as beds, chairs, tables and walls as well as producing props or costumes we are transported into Ruby's life and her encounters with her family, friends, work colleagues, landlords, GPs and therapists.

Marshmallow Me is also very funny, with plenty of humour and laugh out loud moments that contrast with the issues being explored. I laughed many times and cried more than once.

Written and performed from her own personal experiences, Rosie is a skilled actor who can maintain our compete attention throughout using her own emotions and experiences to share with a rapt audience and thoroughly deserved the standing ovation at the end.

Marshmallow Me portrays a superb portrayal of an often-misunderstood issue which gives us a deep insight into the secretive world that many people will not know about.

I absolutely loved this and have no doubt that there will be great things in store for Rosie Pepper.

If you get a chance, please go and see Marshmallow me

Joe Brown presents Marshmallow Me

Written and performed by Rosie Pepper

Old Red Lion Theatre, London

Creative and Production Team

Written by Rosie Pepper

Performed by Rosie Pepper

Directed by Scott Le Crass

Lighting Design by Jodie Underwood

Sound Design by Raffaela Pancucci

Produced by Joe Brown

Stage Management by Meghan Bartual Smyth

Marshmallow Me will be partnering with the charity, SEED (Support and Empathy for people with Eating Disorders) to raise awareness and vital funds for the charity after each performance.

SEED is a Voluntary Organisation based in Hull, East Yorkshire, and were known as the Eating Disorder Support Group. The organisation is made up of seven trustees, Volunteers of SEED, and Gemma Oaten (former Emmerdale Actress), is the CEO of the Charity.

SEED are a group of ordinary people with first-hand experience of eating disorders, who make a difference to those people whose lives are blighted by this devastating illness. Although SEED is not a Clinical Service, they will do their best to support, advise and signpost sufferers, carers and loved ones appropriately, by giving people the tools to enable them to cope on a daily basis.