M.E.H at Greenwich Theatre

One of the great questions posed by art is this: What is real? It is the theme of The Outbound Project’s latest stagework MEH, which is playing at Greenwich Theatre till June 29.

MEH, or Mass Epidemic Hysteria, is an extraordinary mix of magic, alchemy, metaphysics, neurology and psychology that swings between darkness and hilarity in a way that is at once unsettling and entertaining.

Referencing millennia-old myths about wandering wombs, outbreaks of mass dancing in 16th century Strasbourg, the pioneering Renaissance philosopher-scientist Paracelsus and a 19th century hypnotism cure for hysteria in women, writer Liberty Martin and director Chris Yarnell have conjured up a creation about the nature of reality that will keep you puzzling about it long after their one-hour show is over.

They are aided and abetted by a brilliant cast - Lucy Bishop, Susie Coutts, Dominique Dalton, Chloe Holliday and MJ Lee - who through dance, spoken word, excellent fourth-wall jokes and some great tricks manage to keep the non-linear storyline from spinning out of control yet also allow it to strike out on surreal tangents that test your intellect and imagination but never your patience.

My bet is that every individual who sees MEH will read something different into its multiple layers. And I think I can guarantee that each of them will leave the theatre feeling that their minds have been expanded in a wonderfully positive way. Go see for yourself – it’s a joy.