The thing about these characters embracing tolerance and understanding is that there’s so much of it in this play that it becomes less riveting than it otherwise might have been. In a (real) world where there’s so much strife, the world of this play, in which the likes of Lou (Esther Carr) get frustrated with the likes of Dan (Tom Kingman) because the latter is too kind, could be the foundation for blissful escapism at the theatre.
There’s a significant caveat, however, that stops this from being a refreshing experience. The show tackles multiple real-world topics, most notably the journey Lou and her partner Claire (Rachel Andrews) go on when they decide they want to start a family. As Dan’s own girlfriend, Naomi, does not want to have children of her own, but is also Lou and Claire’s sperm donor, tensions are raised when he lovebombs them with baby gifts and dominates discussions at an antenatal class. I’m not entirely sure why antenatal classes have started for them before Lou is even pregnant (if I’ve understood the timeline correctly), but then that’s not the only thing that doesn’t quite make sense in this meandering narrative.
Dan, as a character, is set up in early scenes as someone who needs to have things explained to him – Naomi, for instance, playfully exploits his gullibility. At least there’s a reason for things being overexplained later. In the fullness of time, Naomi, quite reasonably, feels she is being left behind, having already expressed a wish for a wider variety of topics in her conversations with Dan than ‘woman will have baby’. This in itself is quite a clever narrative device – that is, to steer the dialogue away from baby talk every so often, to accompany recollections of earlier occasions, such as when Lou and Claire (or is it Claire and Lou?) first met.
The show speeds through the years between graduating and deciding to start a family. While I liked the manner in which only certain moments, like a milestone birthday or a New Year’s Eve party, were shown, and then only briefly, it’s a momentum that couldn’t be sustained, which left the rest of the show feeling increasingly sluggish. It’s a quintessentially British story, with the awkwardness of Claire trying, and initially failing, to reinforce boundaries she and Lou had set up with Dan with regards to his role as ‘baby daddy’.
The ‘rom com’ framework is, perhaps, better than a descent into melodrama. Even so, some jokes are stretched beyond their effectiveness: there’s a scene about baby names that goes on for too long, and doesn’t even end with a consensus. Dan might have overstepped into being saccharine, but so does the play overall – it’s a tad too sweet for the struggles and difficulties the storyline attempts to grapple with. Some engaging performances in an uneven script make for a bumpy ride.
Review by Chris Omaweng
Celebrating queer joy and the family we choose, Claire and best friend Dan make a drunken pact at a twenty-first birthday party – he will be her sperm donor if she’s ever in a lesbian relationship when she’s older. Flash forward a decade and Dan, in a relationship himself with girlfriend Naomi who doesn’t want children, is ready to honour the agreement when Claire and girlfriend Lou struggle to find a donor. As IVF treatments, ante-natal classes and the looming realities of parenthood test the foursome’s friendship and relationships, Eggs Aren’t That Easy To Make explores our limits and boundaries, while highlighting the additional obstacles that LGBTQ+ couples face with warmth, heart and humour.
Claire – Rachel Andrews
Lou – Esther Carr
Naomi – Sophie Rosen-Fouladi
Daniel – Tom Kingman
Writer – Maria Telnikoff
Director – Lauren Tranter
Lighting Designer – Zoe Beeny
Assistant Lighting Designer – Cole Scott
Sound Designer – Arianna Munoz
EGGS AREN’T THAT EASY TOMAKE
Riverside Studios
30 March to 12 April 2026
