“Sometimes when I look at him, I feel like he’s me. But if the baby is me, then who am I? You?”

The arrival of this baby has changed everything.

Amir hovers as his mother holds her grandchild for the first time, mesmerised. The bag of handmade baby clothes she’s brought lies at her feet.

After she leaves, Amir watches his wife feeding their newborn son, so close, almost intertwined. They look so complete, while Amir feels aware of a growing chasm separating him from them, and him from his own mother.

As sleepless nights, relentless crying and hushed arguments take their toll, Amir grapples with the puzzle of how to be a father, a son, a husband – mashing together pieces that don’t seem to fit. All he knows is he’s determined not to repeat the past.

The Cord is an intensely frank and relatable insight into the challenges of being a parent and a child, no matter how old you are. This evocative new play reunites Olivier award-winning writer and director Bijan Sheibani (Barber Shop Chronicles) with the team behind his 2019 Bush Theatre hit, The Arrival. Cast includes Irfan Shamji (The Arrival, Chasing Hares) as Amir.