Qulture Magazine

Words: Tony Quilietti

BAIRNS is a northern English one-woman play by Annie Davison in which she plays Lottie – a character exploring the superseding nature of motherhood through a surrogacy for her sister and dull brother-in-law, questioning whether or not she would like to keep the baby after growing a physical attachment to it.

Davison is a great performer and actor whose writing is witty and somewhat waller-bridge-esque – everything opens on the phrase – “Fuck me I need a coffee” before diving into an abrupt – and insensitive – tirade of pregnancy with whaling metaphors – a recurring motif through the show.

Her performance is undeniably funny and heart-wrenching at times, sometimes both in a way that invites the audience into the story. Her career is very clearly onwards and upwards from here. What struck me is that Bairns would certainly make a fantastic piece of coursework – It’s insight into pregnancy and the human experience of growing a child is invaluable and performed in such a captivating and emotional manner that it’s impossible not to keep your eyes on Davison, who consistently addresses the audience throughout the piece and directly grabs their attention.

For that, I’d consider BAIRNS a solid 4/5 ⭐.

Get Tickets Here until 25th Aug!