Issy Cory
After pulling out of their previous fertility arrangement with an anonymous sperm donor, Lena and Joey are about to embark on a new chapter with bestie Ollie’s sperm instead. However, having just moved house, the two-week deadline to baby time feels quite… soon.
With cardboard boxes multiplying by the minute, tensions rise between the couple. Joe wants to keep the flat tidy, Len wants to go out for one last pre-baby hurrah and paint all the walls green. Fun Spunkle (Spunk-Uncle, obvs) Ollie tries desperately to mediate, but his well-meaning attempt at yogi breaths just makes everything worse.
It seems as though great plays are getting ever more rare at the Edinburgh Fringe. Luckily, Baby In The Mirror has us in safe hands. What a script. What direction. What a beautiful, electric, important story. Hard to explain without descending into a stream of expletives.
For their first production as a self-producing (!) theatre company, Second Adolescence are keen to show off their big bag of creative ideas from the word ‘Go’. The endlessly overlapping and intertwined dialogue of the opening scene demonstrates serious mastery. It is slick, choreographed, yet steeped in authenticity.
The story unfolds in a manner that is almost Greek. Len’s drastic spiralling over Joey’s reluctance to open up carries massive drama. It’s as if we can see the train hurtling towards us but we are powerless to stop the fire that is already raging onstage. The actors’ unstoppable energy makes it all the more thrilling.
Second Adolescence’s discussion around queer parenthood is done with spectacular flair. Len’s repeated assertion that she will be the vessel for their child continually twists the knife in Joe, lamenting the fact that they cannot biologically contribute to the creation of the baby. With UK courts still considering parental status to be defined by the biological role in a child’s birth, this part of the narrative feels painfully poignant.
Baby in the Mirror attests to the minefield that is having a baby as a queer couple. Navigating what title you might want to give yourself (that isn’t ‘Mum’ or ‘Dad’), trying to raise a child in a society that doesn’t make space for you, trying to learn how to parent in a way that no-one showed you as a child. We reflect on the heteronormativity that we witness so much every day with a refreshed perspective.
Everything about this production is superb. Second Adolescence have brought something very special to Summerhall, and I feel grateful to have seen it. Not bad for a debut show, eh?
Recommended Drink: It’s a ‘Baby Hen’, so shots for everyone!
You can catch Baby in the Mirror at Red Lecture Theatre at Summerhall from Aug 12-17, 19-25 at 15:15. Tickets are available through the EdFringe Online Box Office.
Jake Mace
Lamesha Ruddock
Jasmine Silk
