Reviewer: Christine Stanton
Writer: Barry McStay
Director: Tom Ratcliffe
“Instantly Likeable, Emotionally Charged“
4 / 5
Married couple Zeb and Eoin have reached the next stage of their relationship and are both cautious, yet excited to begin to adopt a child together. The process – through seemingly copious amounts of homework-like tasks, brings them closer together, no matter what obstacles get thrown their way in the meantime.
Zeb (Dan Nicholson) is going to be the self-proclaimed ‘fun daddy’. Though he’s a lawyer, he doesn’t take life too seriously, and approaches the adoption process with light-hearted fun where possible, much to eager-to-please ‘serious daddy’ Eoin’s (Barry McStay) despair. Together, they are probed in every inch of their lives by social worker Beth (Nemide May) – medicals are taken, intimate questions about their sex-life are bizarrely examined and interviews are conducted with friends and family, all to prove the suitability on their potential path to fatherhood. When Zeb receives some information that could postpone the parental process, they are distraught – unsure whether they should flag it to Beth or hold this one item back in an attempt to reclaim some privacy with each other.
The process of adoption is excruciatingly in-depth – outlined wonderfully throughout the show by writer Barry McStay, giving an insight into the world of queer parenthood for those unfamiliar. Though the factual elements of the process are detailed throughout, the storyline still manages to remain light, rather than getting bogged down with red-taped factual jargon. This is due to McStay’s character-strong script, alongside the wonderful performances from the three actors on stage. The chemistry between McStay and Nicholson is believable and engaging and both characters are instantly likeable as you root for them to achieve their dream of becoming parents. They play the part of a couple well, their minor frustrations with each other alongside touching sentiments of affection are realistic and endearing, while their initially very different approaches to their interactions with Beth are humorously entertaining. Beth is also a well-written addition to the duo – although she begins as just a conduit to the adoption process, she slowly becomes part of Zeb and Eoin’s narrative – warming and letting her walls down slightly as she becomes more comfortable with them both.
The set (Ruby Law) is simple, yet playful – building blocks across the stage that periodically light up at various stages throughout the show. It fits well with the storyline and is easy to disassemble and re-assemble as needed for various different seating arrangements. The script’s tender moments are amplified with the well-paced direction from Tom Ratcliffe, allowing the audience to move seamlessly through the time-stamps in the storyline without needing any additional clarity.
This is an incredibly emotionally charged show with so many different layers to the narrative, written beautifully by McStay. The more serious scenes are interspersed with happier memories between the pair or light-hearted humour from the characters, which helps to stop the audience from being in floods of tears and instead give them a chance to re-compose themselves!
Runs Until 14 April 2024
Photo Credits: Ed Rees
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