The Room Upstairs walks us through a graduating daughter’s experience of her mother’s ongoing health crisis. Through snippets of conversations which took place in the upstairs bedroom, punctuated by flashbacks to childhood memories, actress and singer Lani Calvert leads us through a revolving door of appointments, referrals and waiting lists, revealing the impact of a strained NHS on patients and those closest to them. 

‘What if she never gets better?’ The show manages to pair tear-jerking moments with comedic musical numbers, raw emotional outbursts with colourful puppetry, showing us how coping can take on many forms. Sometimes you have to strive for normality no matter how difficult. One-person shows can often be stilted or difficult to immerse yourself in, which is perhaps more pronounced here as the central crisis revolves around a character who is not there: the invisible mother with an invisible illness. Despite this, Calvert’s energetic performance evokes both innocence and disillusionment, anger and empathy, and gives an authentic portrayal of the ups and downs involved in having a sick parent. 

The Room Upstairs, Pleasance Courtyard, until 26 August, 12.30pm.