A therapist in mandated therapy, what could possibly go wrong? Susanna Wolff’s one-woman dark comedy, Totally Fine, exposes the stresses and strains that come with being a therapist. Her character, a therapist who remains nameless, insists she is ‘totally fine’ and this whole therapy session is pointless. Somehow, that seems unlikely.
The script, written by Wolff, is tightly crafted and exceptionally clever. Even the seemingly inconsequential jokes having pay offs, combined with a slowly unravelling mystery, keep the audience engaged throughout, culminating in an earned and effective finale. Wolff manages to peel back the layers of our protagonist, deftly dancing between comedy and tragedy without ever losing momentum. Not a single line is wasted, no mean feat in a one-person show.
Wolff’s performance is electric. From the first line she seizes your attention and never lets it go. Charismatic yet vulnerable, eccentric but reserved. Not only does she hit all the comedic and emotional beats; she absolutely nails them. I was particularly impressed by the scenes where she played both sides of a conversation, flicking between characters with ease. In one memorable moment she even seduced herself. Occasionally the accent of a certain character would slip but given the speed at which Wolff was switching between them I’m hardly going to hold that against her.
Dean Graham’s direction and George Turner’s production design are used to great effect. The set is minimal, resembling a therapist’s office, but lighting and music changes allow Wolff to inhabit different locations despite only moving about a metre on the stage. This lends a dynamism to the story, as well as providing opportunities for hilarious physical comedy.
Totally Fine’s greatest strength, however, is its insightful and heartfelt discussion of mental health problems. Ultimately, everyone has struggles, even a therapist. And that’s OK. It’s OK not to always be ‘totally fine’. And it’s OK to reach out in those darker moments, to try and find a connection when connection feels impossible. Where therapy in films is often nothing more than a plot device, Wolff really dives into both its importance and its shortcomings. I won’t go into detail here, but Totally Fine is as effective an examination of everyday hardships as I’ve ever seen.
Wolff also raises the important issue that therapy is far too expensive for most people to afford. As a result, nearly all our protagonist’s clients are on the richer and posher side of life. While this is a vital point, and Wolff is certainly well intentioned, she leans a little too heavily into sending up the posh mannerisms. As a result, I couldn’t help but wonder if she was actually alienating anyone unfamiliar with the types of characters she was mocking and the world they inhabit. Given her aim was to show how wrong it is that “normal” people can’t afford therapy, accidentally excluding those people would certainly be an issue! Perhaps she could’ve found a way to tell the story that relied less on rich/posh tropes?
Overall, though, Totally Fine is fantastic and Wolff evidently a tour-de-force of creativity. I look forward to seeing whatever she does next.
Reviewer: Ben Pearson
Reviewed: 18th January 2025
North West End UK Rating:
Rating: 4 out of 5.
