REVIEW: A SUPER HAPPY STORY (ABOUT FEELING SUPER SAD) @ YOUNG VIC

🎭 A Super Happy Story (About Feeling Super Sad)

📍 Marina Studio, Young Vic, 55 The Cut, London, SE1 8LZ

🗓 Saturday 3rd October 2026

⭐️ 5 Stars

A BLINDING PIECE OF THEATRE

The brilliant Shedinburgh Fringe Festival has rolled into the Young Vic's Maria Studio and popped up its signature garden shed. I headed over yesterday to catch a one-night-only staging of Jon Brittain and Matthew Floyd Jones’ masterpiece, A SUPER HAPPY STORY (ABOUT FEELING SUPER SAD). And let me tell you, it was pure, unadulterated magic.

Today I may still be scrubbing biodegradable glitter out of my hair, but my heart is absolutely full.

If you’ve never seen this show before, the premise sounds like a total paradox. It’s a hilarious, pop-fueled, cabaret-style musical... about clinical depression. I know, right? It sounds like a wildly risky tightrope walk, but they don’t just walk it - they dance across it in platform heels.

The story follows Sally, played by the utterly magnificent Madeline MacMahon. Sally is that friend we all have - the one who is constantly beaming, organising the group chats, and radiating pure, unbothered sunshine. Except, underneath the permanent smile, she’s drowning. MacMahon’s performance is nothing short of a masterclass. She manages to be deeply, beautifully funny one second, and then breaks your heart into a million tiny pieces the next. The sheer vulnerability she brings to Sally’s lowest moments had the entire shed completely silent. You could have heard a pin drop. There was so much truth in her performance that I actually believed I was watching someone tell their own story.

Flanking her are Ed Yelland and Sophie Clay, who are essentially a two-person comedy hurricane. They spin through dozens of supporting characters at supersonic speed, keeping the energy sky-high. With little more than a swift jacket swap, a different bag, or a sudden shift in posture, they completely inhabit every single person who enters Sally's life. It is breathtaking physical comedy at its absolute finest, morphing from anxious friends to clueless doctors in the blink of an eye without ever losing the show's grounded, emotional heartbeat.

All the while, composer Matthew Floyd Jones holds it all together on the keys. The songs are absolute earworms - upbeat, pop bangers that mask some seriously heavy, raw lyrics.

What makes this particular performance so special, though, was the Shedinburgh setting. Strip away the big West End lighting rigs and the massive sets, stick three mega-talented actors inside a literal garden shed, and what are you left with? Total intimacy. It felt like we were all huddled together in a safe space, sharing a massive collective hug. It’s a show that looks you dead in the eye and reminds you that it is entirely okay not to be okay.

I am one of those people who rarely show emotion in public, but I have to say that my eyes were more than a little wet during this performance. As someone who has people very close to them who have suffered severely with their mental health, this really hit me in the core. The honesty in the performance was heartbreakingly breathtaking. The way the show has you in tears of laughter and sadness at the same time is an incredible feat.

The piece was also technically sublime, with the lighting doing exactly what it needed to do, and a clear and crisp sound design only elevating the production even more.

It is a tragedy in itself that this was a one-night-only deal for the London transfer, because honestly, everyone needs to see this show. It’s hilarious, it’s devastating, it’s profoundly important, and it’s the most joyful depiction of sadness you will ever experience.

An easy, glittering five stars. Absolutely triumphant. This show easily deserves a longer run in London.

Neill Kovacic-Clarke

All views are my own and I pride myself on being honest, fair and free from influence. Theatre is subjective and it is important to remember that all views expressed are just those of one person.

My ticket for this performance of A Super Happy Story (About Feeling Super Sad) was gifted by Pink and Red, who invited me to watch the show in exchange for my honest review. The fact that my ticket was gifted played no part in the content of my review or the star rating given.

CAST:

Madeleine MacMahon as Sally; Sophie Clay as Tash (and others); Ed Yelland as Toby (and others); Matthew Floyd Jones on Keys

CREATIVES:

Writer - Jon Brittain; Composer and Musical Director - Matthew Floyd Jones; Director - Alex Mitchell; Sound Designer - Ed Clarke; Set and Costume Designer - Amy Jane Cook; Movement Director - Jon Beney; Lighting Designer - Adam Foley; Stage Manager - Jon Calvert; Producers - Alice Barber and Alex Morgan

RUNNING TIME (approx):

1 hour 5 minutes, with no interval

CONTENT WARNINGS:

Distressing themes; Strong language; Depictions of suicide

AGE GUIDELINE:

12+

To keep up to date with all the latest theatre news and more, follow Pink Prince Theatre on social media.

Find us on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.