Holding an audience rapt for any period of time where the subject is the meaty, nuanced and personal elephant that is mental health support in the UK is a very big ask of any performer.
One thinks of writers such as Adam Kay, who’s book and tour, This is Going to Hurt, vividly brought to life the warts and glory of being an NHS doctor. Or copper turned stand-up comic Alfie Moore’s It’s a Fair Cop in which, by allowing the audience to play police, he highlights the idiosyncrasies and impotencies of the criminal justice system.
Tonight, performer Nathaniel Tresise shares his experiences of working for a Greater Manchester mental health charity where a dreadfully under-resourced service attracts people with all the quirks you expect, often risking those with genuine, urgent need being at risk of slipping through the cracks.
Nathaniel has been sharing his anecdotes and insights for over a year now, but, even though it feels mean to criticise such a worthy and noble show, it also feels like it still hasn’t found its feet. Nathaniel flits between the events of one particular evening along with other past experiences of service users he’s encountered at pace, but the content is very conversational to the point of being promptly forgettable.
Some anecdotes are both darkly funny and maddening, exposing the system’s flaws such as when he tests the on-call system and encounters a frighteningly incompetent and oblivious call-handler, or when his ambulance request for a suicidal client gets pushed to the back of a seven-hour queue, thanks to the client having the temerity to be conscious.
But other moments, such as reconstructions of calls from the more challenging customers don’t land effectively, with their delivery rendering them with an inadvertent tone of mockery of misguided people still clearly in need at some level. And unlike other shows of this sort, there are no true stingers, gut punches or epiphanies.
Nathaniel is a likeable and authentic host, but this feels more like someone venting their frustrations whilst out with mates for drinks. There’s just enough to hold the audience for the 45minute run time but ultimately, it needs its own therapeutic intervention with a skilled writer to move from one man’s outpouring to the vital and eye-watering critique that one suspects Nathaniel is aiming for.
For more Manchester Fringe shows, visit https://greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk/events/
Reviewer: Lou Steggals
Reviewed: 18th July 2025
North West End UK Rating: