Julia Grogan's one-woman show You're So Special, at Soho theatre in London, is reviewed as a painfully funny yet tragic portrait of a woman consumed by the desire for fame. Written and performed by Grogan, the show follows Miss June, a toddlers' dance teacher who dreams of stardom, exploring the darker, more manic side of ambition in a way that resonates as both comic and unsettling.

The play opens with Miss June appearing on a chat show boasting of Oscar nominations, before snapping back to her real life running toddler ballet classes in a shared village hall. A brief brush with a TV opportunity collapses when producers decide they no longer need her, sending her back to begging for her old job and preparing an end-of-term recital, all while she fixates on a pupil's TV-producer parents as her next chance at fame. Directed by Rachel Lemon, the piece is staged as a reverse tragedy in acts, with Grogan praised for a vivid, physically expressive solo performance that runs at Soho theatre until 26 September.