She loved being a Mum… until he got a personality.
In a darkly comic solo show that asks if it’s ok to regret motherhood and asks about the choices that led there in the first place, a woman goes viral after calling her four-year-old son the c-word. Comedy writer Anna Morris won a Scotsman Fringe First for her debut play, which sees stressed mother Marnie struggling to look after her challenging son Charlie, leading to a fateful 10 seconds. As the clip is debated on national television and radio, Marnie’s life violently unravels. Jumping forward and backward in time, it shows the build up to, and the fallout from, the worst moment of Marnie’s life. Son of a Bitch explores the fetishisation of motherhood and questions the common misconception that the childless might regret not having kids. Perhaps some parents regret having them?
Anna Morris said, “I wrote the play to explore the themes of maternal ambivalence, choices, the fetishisation and glorification of motherhood, the way women are pressured into following the heteronormative path of marriage and children. Pressures on women to meet someone and beat their biological clock, regardless of circumstance. The play also explores the power of social media, how a ten second video of someone’s life can absolutely destroy them. I’m 44 and I don’t have children, and I’m absolutely fed-up with the way people judge me for this. With this show, I really wanted to start a dialogue around the choices we have around having children.”
Anna has single-sided deafness and supports Action on Hearing Loss. All performances of Son of a Bitch will feature integrated creative captioning as well as BSL and relaxed performances.
The Thelmas is a female-led touring company who explore the social, political and cultural stories that matter, in a fresh and surprising way. They are led by director Madelaine Moore and writer Guleraana Mir.
Listings
- Son of a Bitch: 26 February - 15 March 2025
- Southwark Playhouse Borough, 77-85 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6BD
- Mon – Sat 7.30pm, matinees 3pm Tues & Sat
- £25 (£20 concs), £16 previews, £10 Pioneers’ preview (26th)
- BSL Performances: Weds 5th March, Tues 11th March (matinee), Thurs 13th March
- Relaxed Performances: Weds 5th March, Tues 11th March (matinee), Thurs 13th March
- Babes In Arms (Under 1 yr): Tues 4th (matinee) & Sat 8th March (matinee) with post show social space for parents
- Tickets: Son of a Bitch - Southwark Playhouse Borough