Mary's Babies, Jermyn Street Theatre - ★★★★★ - Until April 13, 2019

Photographer: Robert Workman

"Reproductive issues"... the mind explodes in the moral minefield conjured up by those words. Who would expect a play that is both ethically subtle and laugh aloud funny. This is an absorbing look at the complicated questions raised by technology, but it is also a thoroughly enjoyable night in the theatre. Maud Drumgoole's play is a wonderful new work and the acting of Emma Fielding and Katy Stephens as they assume multiple roles is masterful. What happens to individuals and their relationships as they learn that they are the "products" of a fertility clinic and have multiple siblings? Their distress and their embracing of this news raises many fascinating dilemmas about privacy, kinship and what one really does want to know about one's past and one's future. All these complex questions are handled deftly and with delightful humour. In the end, there is a recognition that many of the issues raised by reproductive technology might be better addressed in the context that, in fact, we are all related. Indeed, the world might be a better place if we all saw in "strangers" our brothers and sisters. Don't miss "Mary's Babies."

Reviewed by J.C.

  Our Score:  ☆☆☆☆☆ 

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WHEN, WHERE, GETTING THERE:
Until Apr 13, 2019
Mon - Sat: 7:30pm, Sat: 3:30pm
The Jermyn Street Theatre
Nearest tube: Piccadilly Circus
https://www.jermynstreettheatre.co.uk/show/marys-babies
Map & Location: 16B Jermyn St, St. James's, London SW1Y 6ST, UK

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