Simon Ward reviews Baby Brain at the Bridewell Theatre

I have done a few reviews over the years where the subject matter is so much more important than my opinion of the show that it feels almost irrelevant. This is one such production. Endorsed by the charity Action on Postpartum Psychosis (APP), this is an almost verbatim account of the experiences of the one in a thousand women who have suffered with the condition. Pregnancy and childbirth, even if everything goes well, is such a crazy rollercoaster, that it seems almost cruel that it can tip over into psychosis. And if it does, the reactions of those around you whether healthcare workers or family and friends are almost inevitably going to make it worse. Not a subject that would naturally lend itself to comedy then. But this is the challenge that Kimberley Nixon and her co-writers and directors Tim Clague and Danny Stack have set themselves with their new play.

Nixon plays Cassie, a young mother who finds herself in the Mother and Baby unit at her local hospital, a place, as she explains, where they send you if you are having a few problems. We learn that she was sent here after her previous birth as well – the baby was fine but she was not. The euphemistic, Meg Ryan ‘baby brain’ of the title can in fact mean dangerous dissociation, suicidal ideation and harm to oneself and others. In order to hold on to some sense of sanity, Cassie narrates her own story, and she is insistent that it should be funny. And she does make us laugh a lot, but there is an edge to it. She is in a place where life is disjointed, haphazard and unfamiliar, and the play reflects that.

This is a tour de force from Kimberley Nixon – the play freewheels around its themes and repetitions but we know we are in utterly safe hands throughout. Her interactions with Clague and Stack who occasionally pop up as crew or other extras are hilarious – the full-throated diva persona is a perfect fit for a young mum in the middle of a breakdown. But the brittleness is never far away – the comedy is how she tries to keep control, but we can always see the struggle. She just wants everything to be normal but it never quite gets there.

Although the disjointed nature of the piece feels like an accurate reflection of what is going on in her head, it does make for a difficult watch. We can never be quite sure where we are. The play continually messes with our expectations but, perhaps as a result, never quite coheres to deliver its message as powerfully as it might have done. There is no doubt that Nixon is an outstanding performer who skilfully navigates the emotional twists and turns. With a few tweaks the show might deliver the gut punch it is so close to.

Baby Brain is running as part of the Camden Fringe until Wednesday 12th August at the Bridewell Theatre, 14 Bride Lane, London EC4Y 8EQ before playing at the Edinburgh Fringe from 21st to 30th August