Wearing a t-shirt stained with baby sick, a new mum is on the edge, coming to terms with the birth of her baby while freaking out about the death of her creative dreams. Since playing Mary in the school nativity, Marie longs to write her own musical, but finds herself hanging out at baby yoga classes instead. One solution to the childcare dilemma is to phone her mum, but that opens up arguments and old wounds, specifically mother wounds. Why does her mum have time for everyone but her? Why does parenthood feel like painful martyrdom, and how can she create anything decent when she’s too tired to function?
This one-woman musical, written and performed by Marie Hamilton, with dramaturgy by Bryony Kimmings, is based on Hamilton’s experience of post-partum depression, guilt around enjoying being child-free and the working mum juggle. Featuring unhinged and uplifting pop songs plus a stunning DIY crown made of forks, dummies and toothbrushes, Hamilton lets us in on motherhood’s darker moments, spiralling into overwhelm and isolation before finding glimmers of joy amongst the chaos. The finale singalong had the mother of a teenager beside me weeping in solidarity. (Babies welcome, FYI).
MADONNA ON THE ROCKS, Assembly Roxy, until 25 Aug (not 11, 18), 11.55am