“A reflective piece on modern motherhood.”
TW: Pregnancy loss
The feeling of not being where you want or expect to be in life is so relevant to modern day. The social expectations of having a stable career, relationship and home by your late twenties, is a mindset that many people seem to be questioning.
When Fin (courier driver, part time freelance illustrator) discovers that she is pregnant, this pivotal moment in a woman’s life is not only taken from her when she has a miscarriage, but she soon questions the expectant motherhood narrative when she realises that she is pregnant again. The dreaded conversation with “the parents” devout Catholics, about being unmarried and pregnant, in an on and off again relationship doesn’t help with Fin’s situation.
What was particularly interesting about the set was the use of a projector with illustrations, a chatGPT search and some footage, brought life to this humanised play; accompanied by a great soundtrack. With a sparse set and any scene changes being on the performer to tell the audience in this monologue-esque nature of play, this approach added another dimension.
With some funny moments, though it did feel like some of the humour was lost on the audience, the elements of audience participation added a connection, thankfully it was only aimed at a couple of people. The piece itself was performed well with the actress taking on numerous roles with accents and mannerisms bringing the characters to life.
In a time where women are “doing it all” and more, this play is a very authentic piece. Not conforming to those expectations, is not only defiant but can be seen as lonely. I think the take from this piece is that there is joy to find in the simplicity of life. Just because something has been done for decades, doesn’t mean that it works.
Overall, this play was good and very relatable. Fin losing her baby was raw and emotional and I think it is something a lot of women can sympathise with. It did feel like Fin’s on/off boyfriend did just disappear into thin air with no explanation, which possibly made the piece feel like something was missing, but perhaps somethings don’t always need to be explained. Sometimes people don’t step up when they should and, in some respects, maybe that is reflective of where we are in society. Women have always been expected to raise children, only this time round, women don’t need to stay in relationships because we have no other choice.