The Cord

“Sometimes when I look at him, I feel like he’s me.
But if the baby is me, then who am I? You?”
 
Ash watches his mother holding her grandchild for the first time, mesmerised by the mystery and delight of a new life.
 
After she leaves, Ash watches his wife feeding their newborn son – so close, almost intertwined. They look so complete whilst Ash feels aware of a growing chasm separating him from them, and from his own mother.
 
As sleepless nights, relentless crying and hushed arguments take their toll, a storm starts to grow – both within the family and within Ash himself. As he grapples with the puzzle of being a father, a son, a husband, Ash begins to fear that all he holds dear might soon be lost.
The Cord is a poignant and visceral examination of the challenges of being a parent and a child, no matter how old you are. The world premiere production sees writer and director Bijan Sheibani reunite with creative the team behind his 2019 Bush Theatre hit, The Arrival.