Baby Brain introduces the audience to Cass played by Kimberly Nixon. She is currently in a mother and parent unit in the hospital. She has a newborn baby and postpartum psychosis which can come on soon after a mother has given birth. This condition affects around 1 in 1,000 mothers after giving birth.

Nixon plays a believable role as Cass. She leads us through the initial storyline about how she ended up in the unit and why she is there for the foreseeable future. Yet, with the condition she is dealing with, we know that she’s not a reliable storyteller, so we have to try to pick out the facts and truth from what she tells us.

However, when Nixon switches between a up and coming flamboyant comedian one moment and falls back into depression the next, we realise that she sadly still has a way to go.  The times when she’s on the microphone telling a joke, it feels wrong laughing as I didn’t want to appear that I was mocking her or laughing at her.

These particular conditions aren’t talked about enough in the public domain and aren’t a rare condition. There’s far too much pressure on Mothers to be and new Mothers that everything is wonderful and magical. The reality is that it can be traumatic, and the sudden change in hormones can lead to unseen conditions such as this.

Writers Tim Clague and Danny Stack have created an extremely strong and moving piece of theatre. Bought to life brilliantly by Nixon. I doubt it was an easy character to perform as she bounces between erratic emotions and thoughts without a clear linear direction.

For more information about Baby Brain and other productions across Edinburgh Fringe, please use the link below.

Four Stars.

https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/baby-brain

https://www.app-network.org/news/general/babybrain/

Co-writers:

Kimberley Nixon with Tim Clague and Danny Stack