Ruby Carr’s second Edinburgh Fringe show, Bite Me, details the twin difficulties of fixing both her teeth (she has Invisalign) and her mental illness (she has OCD). As an OCD sufferer who’s just spent hundreds of pounds on fillings, I was very much the target demographic for the show and was intrigued to see it.
Ruby has a giggly and endearing energy from the start in this ‘dental-mental crossover,’ (her words.) She has a great sequence where she compares getting her teeth fixed with making it in old-timey Hollywood, and gets the enthusiastic audience involved with OCD-infused pick-up lines, riffing skilfully when one turns out to be a trainee therapist. She viscerally conveys the misery of OCD rituals and her Invisalign use – having to wash her hands between each stage of the process – with a great payoff at the end. As we progress, she details both her experience with her teeth (‘so close and yet so far’ from her brain) and her journey through OCD treatment, from an initial GP appointment through to one-on-one therapy. She has some great turns of phrase and is adept at delivering puns without them being groan-inducing, with a confidently giggly stage presence and a beautiful felt backdrop complete with tooth pockets (made by her mum.)
Aside from one notable example, she’s vague around how her OCD is triggered – born from too many encounters with audience members who insisted on telling her the worst-case scenarios the illness feeds off. While this is fully understandable, it does feed into the issue of needing more information as to how the illness affects her day-to-day; this would heighten the emotional stakes and payoff, especially for audience members who are unfamiliar with its realities. The all-consuming nature of OCD is hard for others to understand at the best of times, and it would be helpful to hear more about its psychology, as well as getting a sense of her history of the illness. The climactic moments are chaotically silly and inventive, but would have benefited from more emotional build-up.
Although there could be more narrative clarity, Ruby has a sparky and bright energy, and this is a unique and fun show from someone who is having a brilliant time with the freedom she deserves.
Ruby Carr: Bite Me is running at the Edinburgh Fringe until the 30th August, at Nic 9 (Nicolson Square Gardens) at Hoots @ Nicolson Square (3:50pm)