If you ever need an extended metaphor, just ask Indra Wilson. In a feat of sustained poetic imagination, the playwright describes pregnancy – and pregnancy loss – in terms of space travel. And it is not just a passing analogy but a complete vision, from lift-off to orbit to “Houston, we have a problem”.
Remarkably the metaphor does not wear thin. Rather, it powers a beautiful and touching exploration of an intrepid journey undertaken and never completed.
Writing from experience, Wilson breaks from the traditional pregnancy narrative early on: not only do they want to have this baby but their mother is delighted for them, too. Performing in spangly astronaut costume, with a helmet that lights up from the inside thanks to Adi Currie’s inventive lighting design, Wilson is an enthusiastic space traveller, ready for a voyage towards the stars.
Their boyfriend, known as Nasa, is not so intrepid. Surely Wilson is too young, too irresponsible, too unhealthily addicted to cheese crackers to go on such a mission, he says. His departure will make this a solo trip.
F-Bomb Theatre’s production, co-directed by Cora Bissett and Niloo-Far Khan and part of the Made in Scotland showcase, is more weightless than earthbound. Although this is a study of grief and of the difficulty of explaining the loss of an unborn child – especially to those astronauts who have completed a successful mission – the metaphor keeps Wilson from sounding maudlin or introspective.
From the start, they connect more with Astronaut Barbie, a true pioneer when released in 1965, than with Barbie’s pregnant friend Midge or her conventional husband Allan. Wilson’s desire to be a parent is not about settling down but embarking on an adventure. That it is an adventure they do not complete leaves them in an emotional vacuum, sad but for the recruitment of a replacement ground crew.
At the Gilded Balloon, Edinburgh, until 25 August
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