REVIEW: Beth Wants The D, Beth May, EdFringe 2025 ★★★★

Content Warning: Discussion of suicide and mental health.

Deep, educational and heart-breaking, while still remaining laugh-out-loud and hopeful.

Beth Wants The D is an insightful hour of comedy about Beth May’s struggle with bipolar disorder, from manic high to depressive low, going into painful detail of the impact this has had on her life while still being somehow totally hilarious.

The show opens with a production of Dog Hamlet, which she interrupts, detailing her intrusive thoughts as she enters the stage from the audience and takes over the show, making it her own. It is both a comedic and deeply real representation of the experience of intrusive thoughts, how controlling they can be, and the negative situations they can lead you into.

Beth’s humour is dry and delicious, noticeably darker than the persona she takes on the podcast Dungeons and Daddies, but much more real. She is truly herself here, in all of her glory, and this show is as intimate and as personal as a comedy show can be.

As well as being an excellent hour of stand-up, this show is genuinely informative, detailing not only her own personal experience but also the painful reality of medication side effects, potential treatments, hospitalisation, the effects on her life and relationships, and so much more. It is an incredibly difficult watch at points, with detailed descriptions of multiple suicide attempts, but it is also an incredibly insightful hour that could be incredibly useful both in representation and exploration for people with Bipolar Disorder or any friends and family members of those affected.

Beth Wants the D is a beautiful, life-affirming reminder to find the good amongst the bad, and to reach out for help when you need it.

Performances of Beth Wants The D have now concluded at EdFringe 2025.