Riki Lindhome’s Dead Inside is equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking, sometimes in the same breath
Riki Lindhome’s Dead Inside at Soho Theatre is a musical comedy following her fertility journey, beginning at 34 and spanning nearly a decade. It is an emotional rollercoaster as the audience goes through every low (and there are many), as well as every high right alongside her.
The show plays with the structure of the classic female hero’s journey; the one we’ve seen time and time again in fairy tales and rom-coms, but lindhome’s story shows the reality of it all. The first three-quarters lean hard into comedy, fuelled by what Lindhome calls her “delusional optimism.” It’s a great phrase for it as she continues to joyfully persevere despite repeated devastating setbacks, and the combination of hopefulness and chaos is both very funny and quietly disconcerting.
The musical numbers are a highlight: genuinely laugh-out-loud, but also doing real work in terms of story and emotional reframing. She has real range too going from riffing on the plot of The Sound of Music by highlighting the Countess’ perspective when she is ceremoniously dumped by the Captain who chooses to be with Maria instead to singing about how her child should not google mummy due to her spectacular internet presence.
Then the tone shifts. As the setbacks mount and the optimism finally runs out, Lindhome’s vulnerability becomes the whole point. The accompanying musical number and a stretch of more personal storytelling that feels quite intimate; the kind of thing that makes you realise you’ve stopped watching a comedy and started watching something else.
Some of the questions she raises stay with you: why is pregnancy, and particularly early pregnancy loss, something people feel they have to hide? Why do we keep quiet about it to protect others from discomfort?
Whether or not parenthood is something you’ve ever wanted, Lindhome’s honesty makes it impossible not to feel every moment with her. By the end, when Lindhome finally gets what she’s been working towards for the past decade and you can’t help but feel overjoyed for her. Funny, vulnerable, and genuinely moving – this is a show that will stay with me for a long time.
For Ticketing:https://sohotheatre.com/events/riki-lindhome-dead-inside/