Here’s the thing about childbirth. Coming from the perspective of someone who will not give birth, I realised how much we miss the unvarnished reality of what a birthing parent actually goes through. Society eagerly sells us a glowing narrative of bringing a child into a picture-perfect world. But what happens when that idyllic vision terrifyingly comes crashing down?
That is the exact question tackled during Tuesday night’s powerful production at the Salford Arts Theatre. Starring BAFTA winner Kimberley Nixon (Fresh Meat, Wild Child), this gripping monologue dives into a subject affecting roughly 1 in 1,000 people after giving birth: postpartum psychosis and severe perinatal mental health crises.
Billed as a ‘slightly true story’, the play is heavily anchored in Nixon’s lived experience. Following the birth of a child via IVF in 2020, the Welsh actor suffered from severe perinatal OCD, enduring terrifying intrusive thoughts and an exhausting hypervigilance. On stage, Nixon channels this through Cass, a new parent tackling a profound mental health crisis with dark humour, brutal honesty, and dreams of becoming a stand-up comic.
The production wisely trusts its performer over visual gimmicks. The staging is super simple, yet staggeringly effective. Set against a sterile hospital room, the stage houses little more than a solitary chair and a utilitarian wheeled table. With nowhere to hide, this minimalist approach forces us to focus entirely on Nixon’s commanding and vulnerable performance.
Childbirth and raising children are milestones filled with joy, but this production opened my eyes to the sheer depth of pain that can also be created. The inclusion of stand-up comedy acts as a brilliant release valve for the tension, making the brutal honesty even more impactful.
Those of us who do not give birth are often relegated to anxious spectators, but we must not remain blind to the psychological aftermath. This is a vital, eye-opening piece of theatre that everyone, especially non-birthing partners, desperately needs to experience to truly understand what happens when the perfect story shatters.
By James
For Canal Street Media