Reviewed by Jo Tomalin
ForAllEvents.com
Batshit Solo Show with Leah Shelton (Photo Credit: Brandon Patoc)
Leah Shelton performs Batshit, a one person show, also created by Shelton and directed by Ursula Martinez at The Studio, Bing Concert Hall presented by Stanford Live, Stanford, California, February 4 to February 7 2026. Written by Shelton and Christine Shelton in collaboration with Martinez, Batshit is a dynamic exploration of mental health diagnosis inspired by their grandmother Gwen’s story.
Shelton arrives in a flouncy turquoise prom dress reminiscent of the 60s then does a song and dance number and tells a joke or two. Throughout the show she creatively transforms several times into both abstract forms and characters as she leads us through a poignant story. We get to know Gwen through Leah as this ethnographic memory album unfolds. Whether she is holding an axe or a microphone Leah is a force of nature!
From Perth, Australia, Gwen’s psychiatric reports appear on a screen upstage with searing details questioned by Leah Shelton. How was the population diagnosed? Or misdiagnosed decades ago? And what about these days? Shelton is a self described psycho-siren with substantial dance and theatrical movement training who successfully melds it with a mission to create “stylized, guttural, renegade feminist work soaked in cult references and dark humour.”
What sets Batshit apart is the very creative way that Shelton tells, crafts and performs this story, with a variety of visuals, voiceovers, video, characters and images so that the fifty minute story is entertaining, enlightening and builds to an unexpected moving and joyously innovative final scene.
There are so many moments that stand out as they flash by! Highlights are when Shelton is swallowed by the cushions of the chaise in an outstanding physical scene on the Stylish set by Shelton with Freddy Komp, including a retro TV on stage that not only shows fascinating black and white clips of familiar TV shows but also projects the actual audience – plus unforgettable interviews from past decades of people in the street being asked whether their life is dull! All these elements add up to the deliciously imaginative, visual and physical storytelling imagery Shelton and Martinez create in Batshit.
A program note says that Shelton hopes that this story will resonate with others to tell their own stories on these topics with the goal of improving things. Exiting the theatre, I heard people doing exactly that, which shows the power of theatre. Make no mistake, we are on a journey – Leah’s and Gwen’s journey – where Shelton shares her innovative humor and poignant zaniness to make a point about an important topic, 5 Stars!
More Information:
Stanford Live
Jo Tomalin studied with Jacques Lecoq in Paris. She completed the two year professional course at Ecole Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq, Paris, France, where she also completed the Laboratoire du Mouvement (LEM) scenography, mask and movement course.
Originally from England, Jo is currently based in San Francisco, where she reviews Theatre & Dance for www.ForAllEvents.com & www.FringeReview.co.uk. She is a Professor in the School of Theatre & Dance at San Francisco State University where she teaches performance subjects and directs MainStage plays. She also works in the performing arts field as a freelance movement & voice specialist, director + actor. Jo’s play “Jessica” which she also directed was produced at the Fringe of Marin – a One Act New Play Festival in Northern California.
Jo Tomalin graduated with a degree from London University’s Laban Centre Teaching Credential program in Modern Dance, Art of Movement & Choreography; studied Classical Acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), London; completed a teacher’s diploma (ATCL) in Voice and Acting from Trinity College of Dramatic Art, London; and studied classical ballet for 12 years.
Jo also holds a Ph.D. in Education with a specialization in Instructional Design for Online Learning from Capella University, MN, and a Master of Science degree in Educational Technology from Boise State University in the USA.
