Riki Lindhome reflects on the challenging nature of her performance, stating, “I understand this show may create discomfort,” as she sits at her piano following a poignant song addressing pregnancy loss. While “Dead Inside” may not offer a warm or cozy experience, it is undeniably humorous, engaging, and profoundly emotional. Attendees familiar with trauma-comedy, a genre often showcased at fringe festivals, might approach the concept of “a one-woman musical comedy detailing my fertility experiences” with some skepticism. However, this American performer\u2019s skillfully crafted hour-long presentation\u2014narrating her journey filled with ups and downs in her pursuit of motherhood\u2014will rejuvenate their appreciation for the genre.<\/p>\n
A significant aspect of Lindhome’s performance is its understated nature; few personal narratives come across as less self-indulgent. She often concludes her songs with a modest “that’s it,” and the production design remains simple, even featuring a hand from the wings controlling a bubble machine. Lindhome, candidly, would rather not share her experiences with frozen embryos, unsuccessful IVF attempts, seven surgeries within a single year, unexpected relationship breakups, and her designation as an “undesirable candidate” for adoption.<\/p>\n
The latter anecdote stands out, as Lindhome grapples with the implications of her online presence, which includes risqu\u00e9 and irreverent songs from her duo, Garfunkel and Oates. The performance features a range of clever and bittersweet tunes, including one that parodies Disney princesses\u2014written while she was navigating her pregnancy challenges\u2014and another playfully inquiring, “will you be my bio-dad?” There are also amusing yet relevant references to “The Sound of Music” and the history of women’s health scattered throughout the show.<\/p>\n
In a later song, Lindhome humorously refers to her surrogate as a “trash bag,” a comparison that might seem irreverent but effectively captures the reality that, much like a comedic duo now performing solo, surrogacy may not be the ideal scenario, yet it remains preferable to not pursuing the option at all.<\/p>\n
The production also includes an element of advocacy, subtly highlighting important issues, particularly concerning information that could have significantly influenced Lindhome’s journey. From a seemingly timid start, her show quickly draws the audience into a full experience that engages their emotions, intellect, and sense of humor.<\/p>\n
Currently running at the Soho Theatre in London until April 18.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Riki Lindhome reflects on the challenging nature of her performance, stating, “I understand this show may create discomfort,” as she sits at her piano following a poignant song addressing pregnancy loss. While “Dead Inside” may not offer a warm or cozy experience, it is undeniably humorous, engaging, and profoundly emotional. Attendees familiar with trauma-comedy, a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9106,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[496,631,415,695,417,236,99,2109,241,243,88],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9107","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uk-comedy","category-uk-culture","category-uk-fertility-problems","category-uk-health","category-uk-ivf","category-uk-parents-and-parenting","category-uk-society","category-uk-soho-theatre","category-uk-stage","category-uk-theatre","category-uk"],"yoast_head":"\n