Even the title is a bit of a misnomer, because it turns out that Sara, the heroine of this one-woman show, comes from Leicestershire.
Desperate to escape the dead end of 1980s small town life, she gets herself on the books of a Manchester modelling agency and lands up in Japan. What follows is a predictable tale of excess, eating disorders, heartbreak and tragedy.
Now if somebody told you all this over a glass of wine in a pub, it would probably be mildly fascinating. But Sue Turner-Cray's clearly autobiographical script is all story, no subtext. The stagecraft, too, is clumsy: it is hard to engage with the story when so many changes of clothes are taking place. The piece is only saved from utter tedium because Turner-Cray is appealing as a performer, and succeeds in making the young Sara appealing too.
There used to be a lot of these kind of "look at me I've survived" shows on the Fringe. I hope that Manchester Girl does not signify a comeback because theatre as therapy is never as interesting as theatre that puts its audience first.
· Until August 29. Box office: 0870 745 3083
