Breathless

"Laura Horton's poignant comic monologue "Breathless," part of the Brits Off Broadway festival at 59E59 Theaters, finds Sophie at a breaking point. Played by Madeleine MacMahon, who gives her a nervous likability, Sophie would seem to have arrived at a joyous time in life. In her late 30s, she has a thoughtful, interesting new girlfriend, Jo, whom Sophie can envision as a long-term partner. Yet at the end of every date, she fabricates reasons Jo can't come into her apartment." - The New York Times; "One-person plays about overcoming adversity are commonplace on the fringe - this year, you'll find shows on cancer, dementia and crashing a bike - but actor Madeleine MacMahon performs engagingly as Sophie in a show that is as absorbing as it is sensitive. She plays her as a woman more dented than strengthened by experience, an air of childlike wonder undercut by her endless apologies and lack of confidence. When she plays Jo, her voice drops an octave, emphasising Sophie's vulnerability as she takes the slow road to recovery." - The Guardian; "Written from her own life experience Laura Horton's text is beautifully crafted so we walk beside Sophie learning about hoarding not as a prurient observer but as a sympathetic viewer, and judging by the knowing laughter in the auditorium, with recognition of behaviours which threaten to derail many of us." - FringeReview