Sometimes an avid theatre-goer like me traipses into or across London to see something underwhelming, often overpriced, when there’s quality, fun and value on your doorstep, and so it was with this quirky piece at Theatre 503.
Mathilde Dratwa’s play takes place on US election day 2016. While Clinton and Trump are fighting it out, Vera is in hospital giving birth to her first child. The hospital staff, and her husband, have as much of an eye on the election as they do the birth. Everyone conspires to hide the emerging result from Vera to avoid even more anxiety than the childbirth is creating. When she is discharged, we witness the twin traumas of new motherhood and the new president.
It’s a clever idea turned into a well written and funny piece, with some very surreal moments (possibly writing, possibly staging, probably both) that combined to produce something intelligent about both the trials of motherhood and the birth of a new political order, but above all it’s entertaining theatre. MyAnna Burling is terrific as understandably neurotic Vera and there’s a fine supporting cast. It’s particularly good to see Jenny Galloway again, brilliant as both mother and mother-in-law, plus others. Director Lisa Spirling and designer Mona Camille make great use of the pocket-size stage.
Dratwa seems like an original new playwriting voice to me, and I’d very much like to see more of her work. Great fun.
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