A SLIGHT EXAGGERATION The Breakout at The Mill Until 19 Mar 2021 Review by Helen Karakulak Poppy Mee’s ‘A Slight Exaggeration’ explores the temptation of embellishment when left alone with your thoughts in this display of erratic honesty. Mee rises from a literal pile of dirty laundry to commence her opening monologue of hyperbole, depicting her time travelling in London in all its promiscuous glory. Following this, proverbial dirty laundry is aired as Mee is prompted by figments of her consciousness that manifest in whistle-blowing, water-gun-squirting enforcers of truth. Light is well utilised in this performance, alternating between house lights that dim as dramatic washes envelop Mee’s darker moments. Her melodramatic voice manipulation, changing tone and projection in moments of brutal honesty and softer self-doubting musings keeps audiences hanging on her every word. Mee’s physicality is excellent. As she uses a minimal set to maximum effect, each action from shaking a cocktail to mopping up water is filled with expression. Her chaotic energy effectively encompasses the overcompensation her character feels the need to perform to hide her vulnerability. The production effectively communicated the power of having something to rally behind and get excited about, especially in times of darkness and isolation. However, in doing so there’s a tangent on the NFL, with context for those unfamiliar, that runs long enough it tips over into tedious. Nonetheless, Mee draws us back in, finishing on a high note of audience comradery and enthusiasm. Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)