Riki Lindhome jokes at the start of Dead Inside that although her musical comedy show is about her “fertility journey” she hates the term “journey” when it is used in this context. You wouldn’t call it a “gout journey” would you? Yet journey is exactly what this show is about, charting Lindhome’s rollercoaster ride towards motherhood.
Having hit her mid-thirties, the comedian, known for appearances in Big Bang Theory, Wednesday and half of comedy duo Garfunkel and Oates with Kate Micucci, could hear her biological clock deafening her. All she needed to do was find a partner, have sex and have a baby. Though not necessarily in that order. Life isn’t ever that simple.
You could call this show Pregnancy: The Musical. Lindhome tells the tale of her various attempts to conceive through a mix of stand-up, storytelling and upbeat melodic songs, accompanying herself on guitar, keyboard and, briefly, flute (not all at the same time, she’s not that talented). There is also judicious use of onscreen footage. It’s a subject she has addressed before, as we see in a zippy Garfunkel and Oates sketch featuring a cameo from The Mighty Boosh’s Rich Fulcher.
Along the way she also draws comparisons with classic Disney movies, which all tend to follow a similar format, the invariably male hero undertaking a, ahem, journey, an epic quest leading to a happy ending. Could her, ahem, journey, navigate a Disney Princess path to reach a joy-all-round goal?
It’s an emotional tale but Lindhome is an engaging, natural comedian so even when there is heartbreak, and there’s a fair bit of it, she somehow comes out of the other side with a smile on her face. Relationships and IVF treatments come and go and nothing seems to be working out. Sometimes she comes so frustratingly close only for something to go wrong. And as she hits her forties things don’t look promising.
Lindhome is not the first to tackle this subject. There have been movies (Ben Elton’s Maybe Baby), TV series (Trying) and Sara Pascoe has talked about her IVF treatment onstage. But through a mix of vulnerability, candour and catchy tunes she makes her very personal story feel relatable. There are shocks and surprises along the way but also plenty of laughs. It’s no Disney movie for sure. Does Lindhome’s dream come true? Is there a nappy ending? You’ll just have to buy a ticket to find out.
Soho Theatre, until April 18. Tickets and info here.
Read an interview with Riki Lindhome here.
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