LondonTheatre1.com

London Theatre: Tickets Reviews | News | West End | Off-West End | UK Touring Productions

Musicals and Shows UK Tour

  • London Theatre »
  • West End Shows & Musicals
    • Matinees
    • Seating Plans
    • West End Theatres
  • Plays
  • Theatre News
    • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Ballet
    • Cabaret
    • Children’s Theatre
    • Circus
    • Comedy
    • Dance
    • Immersive
    • Music
    • Musicals
    • Opera
    • Plays
  • UK Touring Shows
    • UK Theatres
    • Ambassadors Theatre
    • Duke of York’s Theatre
    • Fortune Theatre
    • Harold Pinter Theatre
    • Lyceum Theatre
    • New Wimbledon Theatre
    • Richmond Theatre
    • New Wimbledon Theatre Studio
    • Piccadilly Theatre
    • Trafalgar Studios
  • Hotels
    • Broadway
  • Shop
    • Books
    • Digital
    • Home
    • Clothing
You are here: Home / Reviews / Play / e-baby by Jane Cafarella at Brockley Jack Studio Theatre

e-baby by Jane Cafarella at Brockley Jack Studio Theatre

November 22, 2019 Last updated: November 22, 2019 1:05 am By Chris Omaweng Leave a Comment

e-babyIt’s a heartrending story in many ways but I just couldn’t completely shake off the thought in my head that this is a narrative of First World Problems. Nellie (Rachael Bellis) takes on the role of surrogate mother to Catherine’s (Kat-Anne Rogers) child. That is, assuming all goes well – I trust it is not too much of a spoiler to state that not absolutely everything runs like clockwork, if only because if it did, e-baby would have been a very short play indeed. Nellie takes to vlogging about her experiences, allowing the production to make good use of video projections on several occasions.

The play is steadily paced, meaning that Catherine isn’t the only one who must exercise patience with regard to her becoming a mother. To be a parent is, of course, a wonderful thing, and despite my opening gambit about ‘first world problems’, one would nonetheless have a heart of stone not to be moved at least to some extent with regards to Catherine wanting to have a child but not being able to. And ultimately, the lengths to which she goes to, alongside a successful legal career and busy life outside work, is indicative of the sheer longing and determination that exists in those who very much believe that going down the route of surrogacy will help them achieve what they desire.

She has already gone through the IVF route. The whole thing is not, as the production plainly and repeatedly points out, a walk in the park: there are all sorts of issues to be worked out. Under what circumstances exactly will money be paid out by Catherine and her husband Harry to Nellie and her husband Mike? What happens if the surrogate mother is injured in some way? The play asserts that surrogacy is not legal in the United Kingdom, which is why Catherine has flown over to the United States to have it done there. It’s not clear exactly when the play was set, but Nellie’s vlogging sets it in the digital era (YouTube was founded in 2005). But the Surrogacy Arrangements Act received Royal Assent on 16 July 1985.

Anyway, alarm bells ring whenever Nellie’s religious beliefs seek to override Catherine’s wishes – on the other hand, her faith also seems to ensure that her motives are about helping someone else by giving them a fighting chance rather more than it is about cash in the bank. I found Catherine rather overbearing on occasion, regarding Nellie with wariness and even suspicion. ‘Trust no one’ can sometimes be a good philosophy, but is it really universally applicable?

The play’s ending is rather sudden and somewhat inconclusive – part of me wonders if it should be classed as an ending at all. The rest of the narrative is interesting enough, and underneath Nellie’s folksy and bright exterior lies more than an element of frustration and despair. I rather liked the exploration of the dangers of putting one’s thoughts online (something which your reviewer is acutely aware, or at least he likes to think so). For those who, like me, knew next to nothing about gestational surrogacy before seeing this production, the play is a good introduction to the process – the biology as well as the uncertainty, the emotions as well as the ethics.

There can never be too many reminders that there are certain things in life that no amount of money can buy. This play’s characters are credibly realistic, and it was intriguing to observe the interactions between these two very different women, not only divided by a common language but by personal interests and outlook on life. A worthwhile experience.

4 stars

Review by Chris Omaweng

Catherine, an Australian expat living in London, has everything – a husband and an international life. Everything except a child.
In a last desperate attempt to fulfil her dream of motherhood, she hires Nellie, a mother of two and first-time surrogate, living in the surrogacy state of Massachusetts in the USA. Together they embark on a journey that creates and changes lives.
e-baby is a story of love and betrayal, highlighting the hitherto hidden world of surrogacy, where new life can start with an online ad. How far would you go to have a child?
www.aequitastheatre.co.uk

The Creative Team
Playwright – Jane Cafarella
Director – Pamela Schermann
Designer – Isabella Van Braeckel
Lighting Design – Charli Hurford
Sound Design – Ellen Kruger
Producer – Sarah Lawrie for Aequitas Theatre
The Cast – Kat Rogers, Rachael Bellis

Brockley Jack Studio Theatre
410 Brockley Road, London, SE4 2DH

Summary
Reviewer
Chris Omaweng
Review Date
2019-11-22
Production
e-baby
Author Rating
41star1star1star1stargray

Connect with us on Social Media

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Find Tickets Here Shows for £20 and under

LONDON MUSICALS
LONDON PLAYS
UK TOURING SHOWS
 

Latest Booking News

Cinderella

Cinderella: A Drag Pantomime Extravaganza at Trafalgar Studios

Red Palace Tickets for The Vaults, London

Upstart Crow - David Mitchell.

David Mitchell to make West End debut in Ben Elton’s Upstart Crow

The Doctor

The Doctor starring Juliet Stevenson in London West End Transfer

Goldilocks and the Three Bears at the London Palladium

Goldilocks and the Three Bears Tickets for London Palladium

Pretty Woman the Musical

Pretty Woman: The Musical Tickets for London Piccadilly Theatre

THE JAMIE LLOYD COMPANY ANNOUNCES CYRANO DE BERGERAC STARRING JAMES MCAVOY AS THE OPENING PRODUCTION IN NEW WEST END SEASON

The Jamie Lloyd Company announces Cyrano de Bergerac

London Theatre 1 and London Theatre One are Registered Trademarks Copyright 2019 www.LondonTheatre1.com
By using our website you’re confirming that you’re happy to accept our use of cookies. Here you can find out more about how they are used.
Privacy Policy & Cookies - Advertising - About Us - App - Newsletter - Contact Us
Customer Helpline: +44 (0)20 7492 1602