When he called all his ex-girlfriends crazy. When he bragged about being such a gentleman. When he became over-protective. When he bought the butcher’s knife. Looking back, Wimbledon-born comedian and writer Ambrosine Davies can see all the red flags. But at the time, she found semi-reassuring explanations for every concerning side of her boyfriend’s behaviour, withholding the creepier details from her friends. 

Her one-woman show about domestic abuse follows the arc of falling in love, falling pregnant, calling the cops, then ultimately fleeing her home in Los Angeles (where she was training with The Groundlings improv and sketch troupe) in fear for her life. Acting out the dysfunctional family that she nannies for, the straight-talking girlfriends that she brunches with, and the bro cops who share banter and laughs with her boyfriend when they make a house call after she reported a violent incident, Davies retraces the journey into darkness. 

With no publicist, her story didn’t get the audience it deserved this August, but the discussion around trauma bonds, legal obstacles and societal problems is a vital one. Her Q&A session at the end is cathartic and informative; a much-needed sharing of experiences and raising of awareness around a disturbingly common social problem.

I’ll Die Laughing, theSpaceTriplex, until 24 August, 11.50am; main picture: Chantal Guevara.