‘Be My Baby’ at Harrogate Theatre. Saturday, 24th September, 2016.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
‘Be My Baby’ tells the story of four young girls who find themselves ‘in trouble’ in a time when babies out of wedlock were more destructive to a young life than any addiction, and more catastrophic for a reputation than a documented bank heist. The play is set in a mother and baby convent in the 1960’s, where the girls work to earn their keep and have no choice but to have their children swiftly taken away and adopted. Focusing on four very different girls with a great script, some very witty lines and classic 60’s tunes, Amanda Whittington did a great job with ‘Be My Baby’.
Josie Cerise, playing Norma is fantastic as the super-sweet young girl led into mischief before spiralling. Her sobering confessions to the matron as ‘her time’ arrives are really quite heartbreaking. Jess Cummings, as Mary Adams, makes a great counter-part to Queenie, played by Brooke Vincent; starting out every bit the shy, daddy’s girl princess, she transforms very credibly into a much more independent and gritty character.
Cummings, like Josie Cerise, manages to excel in the difficult task of simulating labour, avoiding the very real danger of chuckles from a disbelieving or awkward audience- except of course for the moments of intended comedy. Susan Twist is an excellent tormented middle class mother, in denial about the true extent of her daughter’s knowledge and actions- and absolutely determined to protect her daughter (and herself) from the unforgiving judgement of those with whom they mingle. More concerned about hospital corners than a farewell hug, she makes her significantly limited time on stage meaningful and lasting.
Brooke Vincent is a very capable Queenie but lacks variety across the first act, portraying a Queenie who is almost constantly in a horrendous mood. The problem with this is that Queenie delivers a lot of the winning, sarcastic lines in the first act which are somewhat flattened by the angry delivery. The second act is without a doubt much better, with Vincent genuinely making me laugh as she softened up a little and showed a more rounded Queenie.
Ruth Madoc, as Matron, is suitably authoritative and authentic as a matron, but I struggled to believe in the snippets of back-story that we were offered- perhaps they were just too fleeting. Unfortunately, the lack of depth and investment in Matron’s out-of-uniform self made the Grecian, melodramatic ending seem rather bizarre. I don’t disagree with the ending entirely, it just seemed out of place; perhaps a little more insight into the character beforehand might have made the scene more fitting or, as was obviously intended, poignant.
The real star of this show is Eva McKenna, playing Dolores. The character is the bull’s eye for much of the humour in this production; from her painfully adorable naivety to the incorrigible kid-sister quality, to her infinite good nature and enthusiasm despite her circumstances. McKenna’s ability to sustain a character like that throughout, is a real strength of the production and she’s quite a gift to this company. What’s more impressive is her ability to maintain those characteristics while diluting them for her dark revelation. Her reaction when she realises that she’s let slip about the ‘lad from packing’ is hilarious- a clever trick by Whittington perfectly brought to life by McKenna. McKenna’s performance is moving precisely because she manages to balance the two traits so skilfully; seeing a bubbly, seemingly carefree spirit struggle her way through her back-story while fighting to maintain that characteristically upbeat delivery, is one of the best played moments of the show.
The play itself is a favourite of mine and while I think this production as a whole is done well despite some technical issues including some misbehaving set pieces… Costumes from Chloe Ramsey are brilliant though. The pinafores are reminiscent of both school dresses and modest maternity dresses; acting as semi-comical, semi-tragic visual reminders of the youth of the characters before us.
Overall, a talented cast deliver a truly great play with plenty of heart, humour and authenticity in a piece which seeks to humanise the statistical victims of socio-historical taboos – and the consequences.
Always Time For Theatre 