Motherhood is a moment in which it is life changing for a woman. This may be a simplistic statement, but with every woman being different, the experience is never the same. Sour Grapes: The Musical seeks to explore an area of womanhood which is not always talked about after birth. Postpartum depression (PPD and also known as postnatal depression) is a scenario which according to the NHS website, can start in the first year of being a mother. It can involve sadness, withdrawal from people, lack of enjoyment, finding it difficult to look after yourself and your baby and frightening thoughts, which can include harming the child. Difficult subjects to tackle, but ones that need to be made more aware of to enable well needed conversations to be had in order to neutralise the stigma surrounding postpartum depression.
Seeks to explore an area of womanhood which is not always talked about after birth
Whilst this show due to the sensitive subject content may not be for everyone, this one woman show is one that explores this in a context which is well handled and represents postpartum depression at a stage where denying the much needed help affects the mental health journey with sometimes detrimental aftermaths. It is not what we expect a musical theatre piece to be. Music underlies it, with at least two songs performed. The script is well developed and performed sensitively by our main protagonist, drawing us into her world as she tries to cover up her abnormal feelings of wanting to be left alone and being distant from her child pretending everything is all right. As she gradually spirals into her dark period ahead of her, the way she switches between characters (such as the husband and a friend who is a psychiatrist) is subtle but differentiates each characteristic in a well rounded way.
At times it is hard to hear some of her quieter moments if you are further back from the front of the stage, which means that some of the words are swallowed and it is difficult to engage with her journey occasionally. When she does release her pain and anger, it switches to a volume which is heartbreaking and heartfelt. Maybe a balance between the two states would make the vocal journey more audibly engaging. Right now, it needs a smaller space to really feel the intesity of the emotional journey she goes on, or be transferred into a film to capture the quieter moments better.
Aside from that, Sour Grapes: The Musical is a powerful exploration of a more vulnerable mindset of a mother, based on the novel by Yetunde Lemboye, who doesn't know how to handle being a mother, whilst trying to be the person she once was. It is one that with some tweaks will become more intrisically dynamic than its current level. It is however heartfelt and has strong potential to go further with the topics involved.
