The question that sits at the heart of Baby Brain, the play everyone’s talking about — closing its UK tour at the Edinburgh Fringe.
Since a sold-out, five-star world premiere in Cardiff this March, Bafta winner Kimberley Nixon’s Baby Brain has become the play everyone in UK theatre is talking about.
The darkly comic solo show about a new mother’s postpartum psychosis has picked up features on ITV’s Good Morning Britain and Channel 4 News, a Guardian interview with Nixon, and an endorsement from Action on Postpartum Psychosis (APP), the UK’s leading charity for the condition, alongside reviews calling it “brave, blisteringly honest” (The Edit Wales, ★★★★★) and “honest and emotionally unflinching, handling its subject matter with sensitivity while never shying away from its darker realities” (Adventures In Theatreland) Perspective, ★★★★).
Co-written by Nixon with writer-directors Tim Clague & Danny Stack of Nelson Nutmeg Pictures, and drawing on Nixon’s own experience of severe perinatal OCD, Baby Brain follows Cass, a new mother in a mother-and-baby unit, trying to hold onto her sanity and her stand-up set at the same time.
What the critics are saying
“Baby Brain is a brave, blisteringly honest piece of theatre that leaves you laughing, devastated, and profoundly changed.” — The Edit Wales ★★★★★
“Baby Brain gives a compassionate, human face to an often-misunderstood illness. Thanks to Nixon’s strong performance, it’s a definite conversation starter that will linger in its audiences’ minds.” — North West End UK ★★★★
“Nixon deserves particular praise for her remarkable performance, delivering a demanding 55-minute monologue with unwavering control and emotional depth.” —
Adventures in Theatreland ★★★★
“Baby Brain compels its audience to experience the complexities of trying to relate to someone who has postpartum psychosis. Funny-ha-ha through funny-peculiar to distorted reality.” — British Theatre Guide (unstarred review)
Listing Information
- Baby Brain — Assembly George Square, Studio Three, Edinburgh
- 21–30 August 2026, 40pm daily
- Running time: 55 minutes, no interval
- Tickets: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/baby-brain