I may have come dangerously close to passing out, but this story of Eden Sher’s pregnancy and her reckoning with her time on ‘The Middle’, is incredibly compelling and excellently performed. You can see why it has all but sold out for the rest of its run.
Evident from the beginning of the show is the command that Sher has over the audience. She has a magnetic stage presence that automatically sucks you in, aided by the incredible physicality of her performance. She is also able to excellently play off her audience, giving you a performance that feels almost personalised.
The actual show itself manages to get just the right balance between serious and lighthearted, which is difficult to achieve given how dark this show goes. For example, as much as I think this is a great show that I would definitely recommend, if you’re in any way squeamish, this might be a show to give a miss (There are no content warnings for it on the Edinburgh Fringe website which feels like a bit of an oversight) because of the pretty graphic descriptions of labour. However, in spite of how dark it gets, the show remains entertaining.
The one aspect of the show that didn’t work so well for me was the integration between the two themes of the show – Sher’s pregnancy, and her relationship with her time on ‘The Middle’. Although there are some points where the two themes intermingle, it felt a little like they’d both make for great individual shows as they didn’t have much in common. This didn’t prove to be a massive problem for the show, mostly because it focuses primarily on the pregnancy theme, the two ideas don’t ever really butt heads. However, it does feel like there’s a second show currently hidden in this one.
Overall, an expertly constructed show with an excellent central performance. Viewers beware if you’re squeamish, but if you’re okay with hospital dramas and you’re up for a good time, this would be a good fit for you.
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