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If there’s one thing that this new show from Big House demonstrates with sharp clarity, it’s the cyclical pattern of life in care. We’re shown how easy it is for kids taken by social services and fostered to then have children who follow the same route: it’s a simple, devastating circle that’s very hard to break.
The stories in ‘Baby/Lon’ are based on real experiences. The young cast – some of whom make their acting debuts here – have relayed their own stories to writer Andy Day who has turned them into this drama. Twenty-two-year-old hostel dweller Madeline (Bobbi Byrne) takes centre stage. She’s already given up one child – fathered by her foster dad – to care and now she’s pregnant again. We watch as she dodges the authorities, in fear that her second child will be taken away, and turns to gangsters for help. Byrne gives a strong and convincing turn, capturing Madeline’s mistrust and anger, and her gradual unravelling.
Maggie Norris’s production has the audience standing, moving from space to space in a high-ceilinged hall. Our attention is turned from areas that are symbolic – huge duvet covered-stages where three actors simultaneously take on the accusatory voice of Madeline’s unborn baby offering a glimpse into what’s going through Madeline’s troubled mind – to functional spaces, like park benches. It’s a nice conceit and though it means the 90-minute piece is fairly taxing on the knees, and it’s often hard to get in perfect sight-line of the action, the changing viewpoints and perspectives consistently pique our interest.
Day’s script ends messily, leaving more questions than answers, and the dialogue is a little clunky in the hands of the cast who can’t quite make several of the dud lines go unnoticed.
Generally, though, the actors are very good, with one or two performances alongside Bryne’s which stand out – including a shifty, disturbing menace from Aaron Russell-Andrews as drugged-up bully boy Angel. It’s not a perfect show, and the script could have been a lot stronger, but there’s a lot to be learned from this young, brave cast.