A Super Happy Story (About Feeling Super Sad) at Young Vic (Maria Theatre) Review
Photo: Richard Davenport
As part of Shedinburgh 2026, A Super Happy Story (About Feeling Super Sad) arrives at the Maria Theatre at the Young Vic in a special stripped-back version of the show, reimagined especially for the festival. Written by Olivier Award winner Jon Brittain (Kathy & Stella Solve a Murder!, Margaret Thatcher Queen of Soho) with music by Matthew Floyd Jones (Frisky and Mannish), this cabaret musical tackles the often difficult subject of depression whilst finding plenty of humour along the way. It originally premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2017, where it won a Fringe First and the Best Musical Award, and has since had further runs including Off-West End and a UK tour.
At the heart of the story is Sally, a seemingly happy person who doesn’t let the little things get her down and almost never cries. But Sally has an illness that makes her feel like she isn’t the person she wants to be, and she certainly doesn’t want anyone to know about it. Directed by Alex Mitchell and produced by Silent Uproar, A Super Happy Story (About Feeling Super Sad) explores mental health through comedy, music and plenty of heart, with one very important message at its core: it’s OK to not be OK.
What really resonated with me was the importance placed on talking to people and finding ways to feel better, no matter how small or insignificant they might seem. It’s also a stark reminder that things can resurface regardless of the circumstances, and that it can be difficult to always feel prepared for when they do. I particularly liked that we stick with Sally for the duration of the piece, with Sophie Clay and Ed Yelland multi-roling as the various characters around her. It creates the feeling that everything is constantly changing around Sally, whilst ultimately the pain she feels remains the same, as it simply surfaces at different levels throughout the story.
The piece is performed brilliantly by its trio of actors alongside MD Matthew Floyd Jones, and it actually starts before the lights have even dimmed, with Sally interacting with the audience as they filter in and getting everyone hyped. This ties beautifully into the overall ethos of the show, highlighting just how easy it can be to make people smile by simply being happy — even when sometimes that can be the hardest thing to be.
Madeleine MacMahon is a great lead as Sally, and I really appreciated her ability to connect with the audience throughout. She completely embodies the character and sets the tone from the off, with her interactions with the other characters allowing us to delve further into Sally’s psyche. Sophie Clay and Ed Yelland both do a great job as the supporting cast, with Clay in particular earning plenty of laughs throughout. I also really enjoyed some of Matthew Floyd Jones’ ad-libs every now and again, which helped to lighten the mood during some of the darker moments.
I’d love to see this production fully scaled, as this stripped-back version was created especially as a one-off for Shedinburgh. I can only imagine what even a small-scale set, alongside some more interesting lighting, could do to further hone in on the overall mood of the piece. There were a few moments that felt a little cliché for me, although as someone who has experienced a lot of what is discussed, that could simply be a personal response to the story. I did, however, love the mention of having a bath to make you feel better, because if that isn’t the motto of every ‘self-help’ organisation, I don’t know what is!
There were also a few songs where the repetition did end up getting a little, well … repetitive. The score was mostly enjoyable, though, with plenty of catchy and engaging melodies, even if I found the script itself to be the stronger element of the piece.
A Super Happy Story (About Feeling Super Sad) is a funny, heartfelt and important piece that manages to find plenty of light amongst some very dark subject matter. Be sure to watch out for the hopefully next rendition of this piece, wherever it may end up!
Content warning: The play is suitable for ages 16+ and contains themes of mental health and suicide.
★★★★
Written by Amelida for Theatre and Tonic, September 2026.