Some people say the beginning is the hardest bit. But I loved the beginning. I loved being a Mum. (pause). Until he started to get a personality’. Marnie
We are immersed into a very realistic scenario aboard an aircraft, with the voice of the Captain wishing us a good flight, followed by the recording of a mumbled scream, ‘Stop it ..! '
Wearing a pink jumpsuit, Marnie sits on the edge of a chair, with a pained, plaintive look of embarrassment and despair, ‘You’ve seen the video. It was a ten second mistake’, she admits, as if pleading with us to understand her side of the story. Social media, Twitter, TikTok is awash with a vitriolic backlash in response to a snippet of a video in which she shouts at her four old son, Charlie, ‘shut up you little c*nt’.
If only she could rewind or delete the evidence depicting the worst moment in her life. She is now a witch bitch, Britain’s worst mother, her husband ignores her, a friend asks, What have you done?
To understand why Marnie was so frazzled and frustrated on board the flight from Dubai to London, the narrative switches back and forward, with a snapshot glimpse of happier days as a Samantha/ Bridget Jones singleton, a lifestyle of parties, prosecco, Cosmopolitan cocktails. When all her friends are married, it’s time for Tindr, quick romance, wedding and extreme pressure to have a baby.
With no props and slick sound effects – Jake’s proposal celebrated with a Champagne cork, on the flight, Bing Bong announcements - the fast moving scenes are dramatised with atmospheric theatricality. Family life is tough for the young mother, Soft play (it’s hell), Peppa Pig, (she would like to fry Peppa for bacon). Toddlers are hard work. Charlie is allergic to the cat. ‘We shall have to get rid of him,’ says Jake. ‘the cat, I mean, not Charlie’. From her reaction, it would seem Marnie would prefer to keep her beloved puss.
Jake is able to ignore fatherly duties and promptly escapes to business class cabin as he needs to work. And sip Moet. Isolated in Economy, trapped in the middle seat beside Charlie, Marnie orders two glasses of red wine. ‘A drink for the boy?’ asks the steward, ‘A double vodka!’ she laughs, but is not entirely joking.
The average age for a woman to have their first baby is now 30.6, (in comparison to 26.4 in 1974), with many waiting to late 30s, early 40s, or decide to remain child-free, despite familial and social pressure. But it’s a taboo topic of conversation to ask a mother, if they regret ever having children, that they have lost their identity. A school friend once admitted, ‘ In a previous existence, I was a history graduate – I am now a fulltime mother. But I wish I wasn’t.’
Terror at 30, 000 feet could be title of this bold, blisteringly honest account of how a mother can be pushed to the limit by turbulence – not sudden loss of air pressure but the uncontrollable tantrum of a 4 year old. The audience is almost like a jury in a courtroom, observing the facts, assessing right and wrong. Is Marnie a terrible mother or is her behaviour totally reasonable in the circumstances.?
Anna Morris is brilliantly adept at capturing a myriad of characters, through voice, accent and body language - her rather pushy mother, quietly caring father, Lucy, a posh, partygoer flat mate, Jake, her charismatic but quietly controlling husband.
Renowned for her numerous comedy and dramatic roles on stage and screen, Morris is a most astute actor, blending sharp, sardonic wit and heartfelt, emotional insight to encapsulate the exasperating, stressful experience of being a mother. This is a most topical, poignant and powerfully truthful play to challenge the traditional, romantic myth of motherhood as still the most fulfilling and stimulating role for women in modern society.
Showtimes:
1 – 26 August, 2024, 18.10 (not Monday 12, 19).
Ticket prices: £17.00 (£14.50).
Age guidance, 14+