Son of a Bitch Review

March 1, 2025

Son of a Bitch Review

26th February – 15th March 2025

It seems fitting that I saw Son of a Bitch in the same week that I have been re-watching the Bridget Jones films. This play, written and performed by Anna Morris, also depicts the societal pressure felt by women in their 30s and 40s to marry and have kids (as Morris describes: “Tick box. Tick box. Tick tock.”), but, in my opinion, approaches it with a more gentle touch. Funny, but not slapstick silly like Bridget, Morris has added depth to explore this complex issue, speaking to the human condition at large.

“Despite the complex, heavy topics of motherhood and technology, Morris has blended comedy seamlessly throughout.”

The play follows Marnie, a woman whose life is ruined after a 10-second video of her calling her son a ‘c*nt’ goes viral. Morris skillfully uses flashbacks to reveal the events leading up to this moment, providing eye-opening context – something we’re not usually afforded the luxury of. In this time of cancel culture, we all know what it’s like to throw judgement at something we know nothing about. Marnie asks the audience: “Did it make you feel like a better person?”, catching our eyes in the intimate space of the Southwark Playhouse ‘Little’ theatre, evoking a sense of guilt in all of us.

Technology’s presence is felt throughout: a screen hangs above the stage, dominating the space. It’s there to show subtitles, but the creative team have taken this a step further by bringing in different fonts and illustrations for emphasis and added characterisation. From a practical perspective, the subtitles were helpful to follow this one woman play, particularly for added accessibility, but mostly I found I didn’t need them; Morris was incredible at morphing into the different characters, masterful in both her accents and body language.

The screen also created a sense of being in a dystopian reality; with two semi-circle rings lit up at the back of the stage, glowing neon during scene changes (kudos to Megan Lucas for the fantastic lighting and caption design). It really does give a futuristic feel, despite being set in the modern day. It’s all so familiar, yet there’s a sense of unease – a comment on how we are starting to arrive in this technological ‘future’ we’ve been so afraid of.

The story itself is completely mesmerising as it pulls you into its complications. Refusing to shy away from an issue that is, at its heart, quite misunderstood: the nuanced feelings you can have towards your child and the pressure on women to naturally take to parenting, despite it being incredibly challenging. Nonetheless, the play shows how this is a universal experience – not just for women, but the entire human race. Whether or not you decide to have children is a choice we all make and, as Marnie’s brother states in the play, “neither choice is easy”. As someone that has questioned whether or not I want children since I was a teenager, Son of a Bitch made me feel seen in a way that Marnie clearly isn’t.

Despite the complex, heavy topics of motherhood and technology, Morris has blended comedy seamlessly throughout. She had the whole room in the palm of her hand, a fact that was put to the test when we all gasped following a dramatic twist. A standing ovation quickly followed the ending – completely well deserved.

Charli West