Motherhood or Madness
Katzpace Studio Theatre
Reviewed – 19th November 2018
★★★
“While most of the comedy landed well, however, the dramatic peaks in the story were dampened by a repetitive performance”
Motherhood or Madness centres around the question: what if raising a baby isn’t as satisfying or gratifying as everyone tells you it is? Didi Cederström’s one-woman play – in which she also performs – takes the audience on a journey through pregnancy, birth, and the struggle of not connecting with your child and living up to the expectations placed upon mothers.
Cederström’s script has smart writing, clever quips, and moments of poignancy, but will also veer off on unnecessary tangents at times, such as in an overly-long baking segment. Thankfully, under Samantha Robinson’s direction, the audience are captivated through occasional small interactions, such as one audience member being made to feel Cederström’s ‘baby bump’ – in reality a football under her top. Moments like these set the energy alight, as Cederström brings a daring playfulness to her performance, giving the sense that the atmosphere could shift any second – in the aforementioned baking sequence, she switches from nearly hurling a knife into the front row to handing out cinnamon buns in a very short space of time, and it works to exceptional effect.
Robinson and Cederström have also made an excellent use of props in Motherhood or Madness, with many littered around the stage that teeter just on the right side being visually exciting rather than cluttered. A particular favourite was the use of dolls to signify annoying guests at a baby shower, one of which was subsequently dunked in a glass of water in protest; it fitted in perfectly with the playful brand of humour.
While most of the comedy landed well, however, the dramatic peaks in the story were dampened by a repetitive performance, where Cederström would scream most of her lines. Not only did this lack of variety lessen the sense that the character was developing and charting a journey, but it was also quite grating in the intimate performance space. This intimacy also made her delivery feel too stagey at times, which jarred with the more natural tone of her playing with the audience.
Currently, Motherhood or Madness is at its best when cheekily winking to the audience. With a little more focus and nuance in the script and performance, it can find the heart to match the humour.
Reviewed by Tom Francis
Motherhood or Madness
Katzpace Studio Theatre
Previously reviewed at this venue:
Gaps | ★★★ | April 2018
What the… Feminist?! | ★★★★ | April 2018
Obsession | ★★★ | June 2018
Let’s Get Lost | ★★★ | July 2018
Serve Cold | ★★ | August 2018
Much Ado About Nothing | ★★★★ | October 2018
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