12 – Studio at New Wimbledon Theatre

“I’m fine”.

‘12’ is the one-woman show that tells the story of Mel, a woman in her late 20s, trying to navigate the complications of everyday life as well as her OCD and intrusive thoughts. From the moment she starts her day, she is bound by the fact that she must touch everything twelve times to prevent anything bad from happening.

The studio is perfect to create the intimate setting required and the limited props and staging allow Catrin Mai Edwards to shine in her portrayal of Mel, using her vocal and acting skills to tell the story of the “quirky” character. Edwards is believable, likeable and depicts a character suffering with OCD well, making the audience want to root for her and her recovery. She blocks the entirety of the space, making dynamic choices in her movements and physicality. The imagined characters that Mel interacts with are made believable by Edwards, gaining the audience’s concern.

We are welcomed into Mel’s subconscious through a personalised voiceovers in Welsh and English. Welsh audios are used to transition between scenes, but it would help English speakers to gain more insight into Mel’s mind if the audio was translated to deepen the narrative. However, this does not take away from the deep feelings conveyed by Mel. The play does well to focus on Mel’s feelings and navigating OCD, but as an audience, we are hoping that an arc will lead Mel to begin to recover. The script doesn’t allow for any huge developments in the story or an insight into how Mel’s OCD developed, which could have been an interesting perspective. 

This show that stands out is its realism, beginning with a video call with Mel’s friend Lea. The sounds of Mel’s phone make this show feel realistic as well as the light up phone case.

Music correlates with the character’s age and music from around that time growing up and voiceovers of Mel counting to twelve are used to create the transitions between scenes. This, incorporated with other contemporary references (such as scrolling on your phone before bed as a form of “torture”) makes this performance relatable to those specifically struggling with mental health in their 20s.

Lighting and sound are used really well in this production and compliments the limited staging and do a particularly good job of depicting the chaos in Mel’s brain.

Overall, this play is an awareness into people’s everyday difficulties, especially those struggling with OCD. It highlights the importance of being seen by others, but not necessarily understood and how sometimes that is enough. Mel finds solace in an unlikely friend which reminds the audience that help can always be found, even in the people we least expect.

12 is currently showing at the Studio at New Wimbledon Theatre until 8th March 2025 with more information and tickets to be found at: https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/12/studio-at-new-wimbledon-theatre/  

Reviewer: Maani Way

Reviewed: 5th March 2025

North West End UK Rating: