Advertised on the front of the programme as (Mis)Adventures into Mothrhood. Yellow Things is split into two acts. Act one is a montage of different “Mother” types that anyone who has children or works in any sector that deals with children will recognise at least one of the types featured.
The roles of each Mother are alternated between the strong cast of three Becky Lumb, Mira Morrison and Ellie Ward. Each brings a different perspective into the world of Motherhood.
From the single parent who is trying their best and desperately needs help to make her life better. However, how practical a double buggy in a flat would be without a working lift is something she doesn’t appear to have considered. To the high-flying workaholic who justifies always being at work as providing the materialistic things her child might need!
Each performance offers an honest slice into the parenting skills used to fit around the Mothers lifestyle or views on parenting. There is never a one-size fits all answer about how to bring up children.
In between each monologue, there are children’s conversations which are based upon the competitive conversations that Mothers often have as they play one-upmanship games with one another, rarely based on what the children can do but wanting to sound better than other people’s children. A game I refused to play and would actively discourage.
Act two is The Yellow Wallpaper a solo performance from Becky Lumb. She hasn’t long given birth to her first child, moved into a new flat and dealing with the patterns that “come” alive within the yellow wallpaper.
The character is dealing with a mixture of emotions from events leading up to this point while her hormones are surging from what appears to have been a traumatic birth. A tightly scripted twenty-five-minute play which identifies and describes in horror the after-effects of depression that can occur after birth that isn’t talked about enough and can happen to anyone.
I would highly recommend catching this production while it is running. Yellow Things is one of the most honest productions I have seen talking about the different decisions Mothers are faced with even though they have children. Motherhood is not for the faint hearted.
For more information about Yellow Things and future productions at The Bridge House Theatre please use the link below.
Four and a half Stars.
Yellow Things
15 – 26 Apr
19:30
Yellow Things
(mis)adventures into motherhood
show info
cast & Artistic team
venue details
Cast
Becky Lumb
Mira Morrison
Theatre, Art and Film Reviews 
Leave a comment