Over literature’s long history, great writers have eulogised the transcendent powers of opium, heroin and cocaine, to name but a few. In Solpadeine Is My Boyfriend, Stefanie Preissner documents one woman’s attachment to an accessible, over-the-counter fix, solpadeine (which we learn is three parts paracetamol, caffeine and codeine) at a time when the world is falling down all around her. Part voyage from innocence to depression, part open letter to Generation Emigration, Solpadeine Is My Boyfriend is a brave, surprisingly moving production anchored by the endearing Preissner, its writer and sole performer.

Delivered as an epic lyrical poem, Preissner sketches out a young woman’s frightened move from Cork to Dublin, her turbulent romance with a guy named Steve and her dangerous dependence on those soluble white pills in the red box. The power of Solpadeine Is My Boyfriend comes from the infectious Preissner’s unflinching confrontation with both depression and the psychic paralysis of post-boom Ireland.

Director Gina Moxley and choreographer Clide Delaney help animate Preissner’s vulnerability, as she restlessly moves around the stage, burying herself in a bean bag, jabbing a punching bag. Though the narrative loses some of its thrust towards the end, it’s clear that Stefanie Preissner is one of the stars of this year’s Fringe.

Star rating: ★★★★