I've Got Some Things to Get Off My Chest review

Eva Lily’s debut play is a tale of two tones. Partly it’s a solipsistic monologue about her quest for breast reduction surgery. Her breasts have been causing her back pain and emotional distress and it’s nigh on impossible to find a bra that fits correctly but, as she explains, there are strict criteria for surgery on the NHS.

Realising perhaps that this is only mildly interesting, Lily cleverly expands the terms of the show and invites us all in, whether we’ve got boobs or not, to talk about health inequalities and how the NHS is still often stacked against women.

Although there are moments when Lily rattles off her lines like she’s trying to remember a script, the show comes alive in the conversational moments, full of silliness and humour, as she explains the bra sizing system or tells us how much her breasts weigh in equivalent bottles of booze.

The script is a little rough around the edges, with clunky switches between chatty mode and lecture mode; statistics come thick and fast, as do anecdotes from her friends about their own difficulties with healthcare, and these all feel a little crowbarred in rather than part of the narrative flow. But it’s an enlightening, uplifting hour in which self-love wins out.