Influenced by her own experiences and trauma, Isobel Songer’s ‘Flat 4’ is a powerful one-woman show that forms part of the Greater Manchester Fringe 2025 at the King’s Arms Theatre. Impressively, Songer has both written the play and performs the roles of all characters and monologues within the story.
Through its entirety, ‘Flat 4’ demandsthe audience’s undivided attention.
The performance is essentially about the complexities of female friendships, introducing ‘Alex’ and ‘Becks’ and their flat share at university. Songer guides the audience through Alex’s downwards spiral as she deals with abuse, anorexia and her subsequent depression.
The combination of spoken word poetry alongside theatre is an interesting approach to the story. Integrating frequent poetic monologues provides a raw and harrowing portrayal of her descent into hopelessness. Songer repeatedly switches voices to mimic certain key figures in her story, including ‘Becks’ and the heinous persona of Alex’s abusive ‘boyfriend’.
Interludes of accompanying music neatly complement Songer’s visual and vocal performance, from the intensity of hardcore club music to more melancholic tunes.
At times her dialogue was slightly too fast and therefore hard to follow, however her use of slang and colloquialisms are entirely appropriate when expressing the speech of others. Amongst such difficult topics being presented, light-hearted references to Paul Hollywood, toasties and ‘Made in Chelsea’ were amusing.
The set and props are minimal but nevertheless effective, simply a singular wine glass and a chair. She makes great use of the space on a small stage, and it would be interesting to see how this would translate onto a larger stage. Songer portrays Alex in pyjamas throughout the performance.
Flat 4 is raw, powerful and for many it is relatable. It intensely depicts some difficult subject matters, and Isobel Songer must be applauded for the unique way she voices her concerns as a woman dealing with trauma.
On until 28th July “Flat 4” is being performed at The Kings Arm Theatre as part of Greater Manchester Fringe 2025. Tickets are £6 and available from www.greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk
Reviewer: Hannah Kelly
Reviewed: 27th July 2025
North West End UK Rating: