EDINBURGH 2026: Review: BABY BRAIN, Assembly
Baby Brain runs at Edfringe until 30 August
Baby Brain is a new play about postpartum psychosis written by Danny Stack, Tim Clague and Kimberly Nixon. The play is partly based on Nixon’s own experience with postpartum OCD.
At the top of the show, the two writers give a list of trigger warnings that causes a bit of a shift in the room. The poster outside says mental health but it also says comedy so people seem slightly taken aback.
Kimberley Nixon plays Cass, a young woman who has recently given birth and is currently under the care of a Mother and Baby Unit, which is a special ward for women who are struggling and need additional support.
Cass is a hairdresser but she really wants to be a stand-up comedian. She uses her clients as her test audience for her material and then tries some out on us. Her jokes are awkward and uncomfortable and she acknowledges that people don't find dead babies funny. The discomfort her gags create go to further prove her point that she can’t find much to laugh about just now. Nixon is great and comes across as warm despite Cass’ distress.
Stack and Clague also serve as ward staff who wordlessly come on stage and move things around while ignoring Nixon, further proving how alone she feels. The narrative is disjointed, which reflects her state of mind.
There are a lot of astute observations, such as the term “baby brain” being a sort of cutesy forgetful term but how it can mean so much more than that when it comes to postnatal depression and psychosis. Baby Brain is an informative and at times shocking piece of theatre which raises awareness as well as entertaining.
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