The subject matter of Do Not Attempt This Conversation immediately piqued my interest. As a former nurse, I was at times involved in discussions surrounding DNAR (Do Not Attempt Resuscitation) decisions and understand both the medical realities and the emotional complexities such conversations entail.
Healthcare professionals are guided by the principle of “first, do no harm“. While the decision not to attempt resuscitation can be distressing for patients and families, it is often made because the alternative would cause greater suffering. Attempting CPR on a frail patient nearing the end of life, with little realistic chance of recovery, can be both physically traumatic and medically futile. This play explores that difficult reality with honesty, sensitivity, and a welcome touch of humour.
Nneka, played by the multi-talented playwright, doctor and actor Mo Maka, is a newly qualified doctor who finds herself woefully unsupported by her senior colleagues. Tasked with discussing a DNAR decision with the family of a critically ill elderly patient suffering from sepsis and multiple co-morbidities, she is placed in an unenviable position. The medical decision has effectively already been made, but Nneka must navigate the delicate challenge of explaining and defending it to the patient’s granddaughter.
That granddaughter, Stephanie, is portrayed by AJ Samuel with energy and conviction. Stephanie is angry, frightened and wholly unprepared to lose her grandfather. Samuel skilfully channels the frustrations and misunderstandings that many relatives experience when faced with end-of-life decisions. Acting as the play’s devil’s advocate, she raises the questions that countless family members ask when confronted with the reality that there comes a point when medicine can no longer offer a cure, and treatment must give way to comfort and dignity.
Much has been written about the pressures facing junior doctors – now referred to as resident doctors in the UK. Long hours, staffing shortages, financial pressures and industrial action continue to dominate headlines and divide public opinion. What is beyond dispute, however, is that doctors are human beings, subject to the same stresses, anxieties and personal struggles as anyone else.
Maka portrays Nneka as a tightly wound spring, constantly on the verge of snapping. It is clear that she is carrying emotional baggage of her own, making her perhaps the least suitable person to lead such a sensitive conversation. Her inexperience, frustration and lapses in professionalism undermine her position and fuel the conflict with Stephanie. While the audience may sympathise with the immense pressures she faces, the play wisely avoids excusing her behaviour. From Stephanie’s perspective, a tired and overworked doctor is still a doctor, and personal circumstances offer little comfort when a loved one’s life hangs in the balance.
One of the production’s most amusing and contemporary moments comes when Stephanie turns to ChatGPT for answers about her grandfather’s condition, with the young doctor becoming increasingly frustrated by the information being produced. The scene is both funny and unsettling. In an era where many people instinctively “Google” medical concerns before consulting a professional, the idea of relatives challenging clinicians with AI-generated information feels entirely plausible. The audience laughed, but there was an uncomfortable recognition that such exchanges are probably already happening in hospitals across the country.
Both performers throw themselves into their roles with commitment and enthusiasm. At times, the performances border on overstatement, and there are moments when a little more restraint might have enhanced the emotional impact. One particularly piercing scream certainly achieved its aim of depicting the depth of emotional pain, but by startling the audience at the expense of subtlety.
Nevertheless, Do Not Attempt This Conversation succeeds in tackling an important and often misunderstood subject. It examines the tensions between medicine, ethics, grief and communication with intelligence and compassion, while allowing moments of comedy to lighten an otherwise weighty topic.
This is a thought-provoking, engaging and highly relevant piece of theatre. It offers valuable insights for healthcare professionals while remaining accessible to a general audience. An enjoyable and stimulating hour that sparks conversation about one of the most challenging aspects of modern healthcare.
Review by Bernadette Lintunen
Nneka is a resident doctor finishing a late shift—another unrelenting and dangerously understaffed work day. Typical. Just as she is about to leave, she is suddenly asked to lead a Do Not Attempt Resuscitation (DNAR) conversation with the relative of a patient she has never met, and about a patient she doesn’t know, all under intense time pressure.
Set entirely within this single encounter, the play exposes the emotional dissonance, absurdity, and dark humour of end-of-life decision-making in a healthcare system stretched to breaking point.
As healthcare services continue to operate under relentless strain, life-altering conversations are increasingly delivered in rushed, imperfect circumstances by exhausted clinicians. This play invites the audience to sit inside one such moment as a fly on the wall, witnessing the collision of grief, bureaucracy, compassion, and detachment—and asking what it really means to remain humane within an inhumane system.
DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS CONVERSATION
Lion & Unicorn Theatre, 2 to 6 June 2026
Bread & Roses Theatre, 25 to 28 June 2026
