All The Worst Parts
19 April 2025
Barons Court Theatre
4.0 out of 5.0 stars
All The Worst Parts by Sabrina Simohamed is playing at the Barons Court Theatre this weekend, and it’s a show worth seeing! A dark comedy dealing with the aftermath of assault, it threads themes of feminism and abuse through a humorous narrative of a young woman trying to find herself and her place in life.
The stage at this theatre is very small, but brilliantly utilised for this show with just a small bed, a clothes rail for costume changes, and a slew of items strewn on the floor to symbolise a young woman’s room in her family home. Right off the bat, it sets up its funny but heavy narrative with the main character masturbating as her parents walk in on her. From there, it paints a picture of the problems many young women struggle with today. Finding one’s own sexuality and place within society in a generation that is faced with an abundance of adult entertainment on the internet isn’t an easy task, add to that a girl with a head full of romantic fantasies of how dating should unfold being confronted with the real world not quite living up to that, it’s a narrative that is all too familiar for women in our world. From parties and booty calls to falling in love with her best friend, the young woman’s behaviour and decisions are led by the aftermath of an incident at a party that is never fully dealt with.
The show is staged as a one-woman production, aided with an audio-track that leads through the story with music, moody background noises, and occasionally audible dialogue by other characters not present on stage. Though mostly driven through the pov of the main character, the addition of a strong audio-track elevates the show to a dynamic production that immerses the audience fully. From voices melting into pumping party music, to dynamic conversations with disembodied voices, the addition of the auditory experience is very clever tool for a one-hander, giving it depth and appeal.
Though some of the themes are very dark, they are all too familiar for women of any generation, and cleverly woven into a narrative that is consistently funny. All The Worst Parts is a fantastic production that tackles difficult topics with wit and passion.
