Mama, I Love You (Not): Cheers, Mom! Eulogy for a Living Parent Review

★★★★★

A woman on a stage, in a state of rage and hysteria, beating the crap out of a piñata. A striking, disturbing image that would normally make one stop in their tracks. However, believe it or not, in Candice Fox’s Edinburgh Fringe Show, Cheers, Mom! Eulogy for a Living Parent, this actually ends up being one of the more nonchalant, tranquil moments to take place.

This show is a one hour, one-woman deep dive into family addiction, grief and the power that comes with an angry, disturbed, wisdom-fuelled woman (in the midst of a breakdown) saying the unsayable. I loved every minute of its madness.  

Fox manages to give us an insight into each moment that caused the breakdown of her relationship with her mother and her subsequent grief. From comforting her mother in the bath as a young child to watching her almost die as a young adult to their last email exchange—signifying their estrangement (it also includes an unmissable moment for all the Swifties out there). 

Each stage of grief—denial, bargaining, anger, depression and acceptance—are strung together through a wide array of clever visuals and on-screen media; with the AI generated image of Andrea the Therapist being a personal favourite. Not only do these engage the audience from the get go and allow for moments of light relief, they add to the messy, fragmented vibe that makes this show so refreshingly organic—I have never seen grief depicted like this on stage before now. 

Nothing is off bounds and the show offers a bit of everything. The realities of contemporary womanhood are also prevalent throughout the show. Lines such as “you aren’t allowed to be an ugly, crazy bitch, you have to be pretty, nice and calm” were so poignant and reflect the day to day experience of women who are trying to live a life away from the label of a “dutiful daughter” or a “doting mother”.  

The show offers a bit of everything in terms of physical staging too. A dancer by trade, Fox manages to incorporate a simply stunning piece of contemporary and lyrical dance towards the end of the show—the most harrowing, uplifting yet reflective moment for me. 

Fox successfully examines grief in all its messy glory, the accidental joy we find in life’s most tragic of corners, along with how generational trauma distorts our memories. This show isn’t just about mourning someone—it’s about how to mourn someone who is still alive. An incredible concept, thoughtfully executed. Truly flawless. 

Cheers, Mom! Eulogy for a Living Parent, promises to make you laugh, cry and probably text something unhinged to your Mum afterward—I did all three (sorry Mum!) 

Candice Fox’s Cheers, Mom! Eulogy for a Living Parent will continue to run until 17 August (not 11) at C Venues – Aquila Studio. 

Words by Cory Gourley 

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