REVIEW: THE PUDDING CLUB by Belle Bao, Camden Fringe at Hen & Chickens, Islington 7-11 Aug 2024

“I’ve never felt so out of control in my body.” ★★★

“The Pudding Club” follows Jane’s journey through her difficult pregnancy and reveals all the body horrors and psychological pitfalls of impending motherhood that no one warns you about. From severe morning sickness to haemorrhoids, to feeling extremely amorous and experiencing a crippling fear of failing as a mother and losing your own identity. 

It’s a very personal, in-depth odyssey that draws you in and incorporates an assortment of different theatrical styles, from dance to surrealism, to tell its tale (a giant banana performing a striptease while saying “potassium” erotically was one such highlight).

The calibre of acting is excellent. Erin Maria Walther as Jane shows the vulnerability and frustration of pregnancy successfully, and Lewis Williams as her husband (also playing other supporting roles, such as the aforementioned banana) has fantastic comedy timing and skilfully weaves between the dramatic scenes and the more surreal moments. YY Yong also turns in a solid comedy performance as Jane’s guilt-tripping mother, who keeps trying to be involved in her only child’s life but is kept at a distance.

There are some nightmare sequences, such as an “Alice in Wonderland” esque segment involving a life-sized pear called Pearson in a role reminiscent of the white rabbit, who had an abstract soliloquy about nature that felt surplus and left me confused as to what its significance was. The penultimate scene in particular slowed the pace, though a touching scene between Jane and her mother as they bond over their pregnancy experiences and her mother offers reassurance and sage advice, it felt overly long and needed trimming.

The sound design was exceptional. Belle Bao and Tingying Dong did a fantastic job of balancing everyday sounds with ethereal sounds, such as amniotic fluid, and combining it alongside a quirky soundtrack, all impeccably timed.

“The Pudding Club” is a bold and imaginative play, full of creative ideas, some well executed whilst others need further development. Overall it’s an uncompromising study of one of the most fundamental female bodily functions and confronts the harsh realities and inconveniences of pregnancy which are often overlooked. 

THE PUDDING CLUB by Belle Bao

Presented by Pudding Club Theatre Company

Hen & Chickens, Islington 7-11 Aug

Sound design by Belle Bao

Soundscape by Tingying Dong

T: @BelleBao

Instagram: thepuddingclub2.0

Annie Power is the Artistic Director of Open Page Productions, and an award-winning writer and producer.