The Cord at the Bush Theatre – review

The psychological complexities of new parenthood are under the microscope in this acutely observed and often searingly familiar new play from Bijan Sheibani.

New father Ash (Irfan Shamji) is doting and committed, both to his baby son and to his wife Anya (Eileen O’Higgins), who’s still recovering from the birth and adjusting to breastfeeding. But babies exert untold pressures, especially for Ash and his mother Jane (Lucy Black), who had difficulties during this stage herself (post-natal depression is implied but never specified). Seeing her with his son sparks joy, but also takes him into darker territory.

Soon arguments are erupting between Ash and Anya over whose parents they see most, and the inevitable changes the baby has meant for their marriage. Sheibani, who also directs, draws these interactions in exquisite detail – the dialogue feels like it’s been recorded and spoken verbatim – as we watch the tectonic plates of their dynamic shift during sleepless nights and long car journeys.

The in-the-round stage is carpeted and the three-strong cast are barefoot (the set and costume designer is Samal Blak). Musical accompaniment is provided by a lone cellist, Colin Alexander, whose soft, evocative soundscape subtly echoes the changing mood. The word ‘intimate’ is perhaps overused in theatre, but it really does apply here, accentuated by Oliver Fenwick’s lighting, which seems to pulse in gentle rhythm. It is, appropriately, womb-like.

Shamji and O’Higgins are excellent in the central roles, showing how the residual effects of exhaustion, emotional rawness and fear can lead to implosion for so many couples. They seem genuinely in love and their arguments sting more as a result; we don’t root for either one, just feel aching sympathy for both. But the real sucker punch performance comes from Black’s Jane, who has to confront the long-tail repercussions of her own struggle to come to terms with motherhood.

Much is written about birth itself but less about what comes after. This feels like a valuable piece not just for any new parent or grandparent, but for anyone navigating current relationships through the ghosts of past ones (which, I’m guessing, is most of us). Sheibani, who made his writing debut at the Bush with The Arrival, has crafted something that feels both universal and deeply personal, highlighting a rarely-spoken truth of parenting: children have a way of finding us out.