09 September 2025
Newsdesk
Former Children’s Laureate, poet, and author Michael Rosen will bring his new one-person show, Getting Through It, to The Old Vic on Sunday, October 19 at 2 p.m. for its London premiere. The show is a powerful and deeply personal double bill of monologues and poetry that explores themes of love, loss, and mortality.
The first part of the show, The Death of Eddie, is a poignant reflection on the unexpected loss of Rosen’s 18-year-old son to meningitis. This segment, which builds on the themes from his children’s book The Sad Book, captures the complex mix of emotions that follow such a loss with vivid, poetic detail.
In the second part, Many Kinds of Love, Rosen recounts his own battle with COVID-19, which led to a 48-day stay in intensive care. He reflects on his journey of facing his own mortality with his signature blend of positivity, humor, and poetry. Together, these two pieces form a powerful testimony to the spirit of recovery and resilience.
According to Rosen, the show is a mosaic of fragments, a way for him to process the "big stuff" in his life and share it with others. "I hope it can embolden more people to talk about everything life throws at us," he said.
Getting Through It marks a new chapter for the beloved author, who is celebrated for children’s classics like We’re Going on a Bear Hunt and for his extensive work as a poet and writer for both children and adults.
