PLAY REVIEW: The Soon Life ★★★

The Soon Life is a searing, unforgettable piece of theatre that brings childbirth centre stage — written and performed by Phoebe McIntosh and under the direction of Sarah Meadows, the contents is raw, messy and full of humanity. 

McIntosh plays Bec, a dancer in her thirties, and confined during lockdown in a flat in London, she has decided to have a home birth alone, relying only on a birthing ball and a box-set. As her ex, Alex (Joe Boylan) unexpectedly turns up and refuses to leave, the carefully constructed birth‑plan begins to unravel, and what begins as physical labour becomes emotional labour too. 

The Soon Life is not for those seeking polite theatre. The depiction of labour is unapologetic, as humour, pain, frustration, fear, love all collide. McIntosh’s performance feels lived‑in; she moves between moments of dread and ecstasy, exhaustion and sharp humour with a power that demands attention. Alex’s presence provides necessary conflict, forcing Bec to confront past hurts, shifting expectations, and the inevitable transformation that childbirth brings.

The production’s strength lies in its honesty: it balances the visceral with the tender, the comedic relief with heartbreak. The setting — a cramped flat, the tens machine, the Moses basket in one corner — grounds the story in reality, while the writing doesn’t shy away from the physicality of birth, nor the emotional toll on both body and relationship. The repeating nature of the first half does start to grate though, as Boylan's diction results to mumbling with no clear thought.

Overall, The Soon Life is a vital piece of theatre. It challenges preconceived ideas of what childbirth looks like, what womanhood looks like, and what it means to face one’s past while bringing life into the world.