Girl performed her ex’s breakup email in theater class — and they cheered like it was Shakespeare

Those who can laugh at their adversities are the bravest people. We cannot control what life is going to throw at us, but our reactions can absolutely be regulated — you can either cry over a crushing situation or share it with your friends and laugh about it. Hope Barlow, a high school senior, did something similar when she transformed the heartbreaking breakup email that her boyfriend sent her into a hilarious monologue. She shared a video of her performance at a high school theatre competition on her TikTok page @hopey.barlow.

The 18-year-old’s boyfriend broke up with her over email when he went for his Mormon mission. Recognizing its potential for comedy, she sought his permission and turned the email into an act. Dressed in pants and a shirt with a tie around her neck, she hilariously portrayed her “actual ex-boyfriend,” enacting how he would have reacted while reading the email to a friend before sending it. Barlow elaborated on her ex's experience with the Church and how the journey was what led him to give up on their relationship. In the email, he had mentioned that people around him hadn't changed his opinion of her, and how she was “literally an amazing daughter of God” who had great things written for her in life, except for his presence.

In the video, the audience loses it when she reads, “I am Eve, and you are my forbidden fruit. You are my great and spacious building... Not that you're large! Not that that's a bad thing!” Hope concluded her performance with the lines, “I care so much about you, and that's why this is happening. I hope you can understand.” She told PEOPLE how she was initially crushed when she received the email, but her friend inspired her to turn this into an act. “The bones of the piece were already there,” she shared, citing changes she had made to the original email. “I was like, I need this piece to be a little bit ridiculous because if it's just me reading a breakup email, it could get a little boring.” She claimed that everything in the act, including the jokes, was “based on something he had said.”

A study by the Mayo Clinic emphasizes how laughter can help us during stressful times, like a heartbreak. This is perhaps why people encourage making light of heavy situations. From short-term benefits like soothing tension, relieving your stress response, and stimulating your organs, to long-term effects like improving your mood and immune system, laughter is indeed a reliable medicine.

An article by Grand Rising Staff states, “Laughter effectively lowers cortisol levels, helping to decrease stress and promote relaxation. When we laugh, the body goes through physiological changes, such as reducing muscle tension and relieving bodily stress.” It adds that laughing can not only cause you to feel good temporarily but also has a permanent effect on helping you foster “social connections and strengthen relationships.” They also “reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation, enhancing one's support network.”

After watching the humorous video, viewers had many amusing things to say. @ilovegojompreg joked, “The 'you are my forbidden fruit' is actually frying me,” while @kadehinojosa exclaimed, “Breaking up with a theater kid in this manner was brave!” Relating to the video, @cl0thg0wn shared, “Not a Mormon but my ex in HS (high school) also sent me a ‘you're in love with me and I'm in love with Jesus’ email while on a mission that unfortunately sounded very similar to this,” while @hope_disneyyy responded, “Having a breakup when your name is ‘Hope’ is so embarrassing ‘cause why do they always use it as a pun.”

You can follow Hope Barlow (@hopey.barlow) on TikTok for more lifestyle content.