ANDY HEDGECOCK relishes two exhibitions that blur the boundaries between art and community engagement
Oh, baby!
SIMON PARSONS applauds a new drama that pays tribute to the hundreds of women who volunteered to develop IVF
The Star's critic MARIA DUARTE reviews I Am Martin Parr, September Says, The Monkey, and The Gorge
RITA DI SANTO applauds a touching and witty opener that touches a hot topic in Germany: the future of the immigrant population
SIMON PARSONS is discomfited by an unflichingly negative portrait of motherhood and its trials
PAUL FOLEY recommends an extraordinary double bill that packs a punch and leaves you reeling
MARY CONWAY is disappointed by a play about AI that results in a deadening disconnect for its audience
SIMON PARSONS applauds an insightful state-of-the-nation play that explores the growing class divide in South Africa
A Child of Science
Bristol Old Vic
GARETH FARR’S testimony to the scientists and women who went through years of trials and tribulations in the development of IVF is an enlightening and moving drama that traces not only the scientific problems but also the barrage of conservative, religious and gutter press obstacles and interference they had to overcome.
The unrelenting pursuit of scientist Robert Edwards (Tom Felton) in exploring chromosomal development of early-stage mammal eggs in a culture medium, and his serendipitous relationship with gynaecologist Patrick Steptoe (Jamie Glover) whose his pioneering laparoscopy tackled back-street abortion butchery, along with the essential medical support work of Jean Purdy (Meg Bellamy) are the predictable characters at the core of this play, but not of the drama.
More from this author
The phrase “cruel to be kind” comes from Hamlet, but Shakespeare’s Prince didn’t go in for kidnap, explosive punches, and cigarette deprivation. Tam is different.
ANGUS REID deconstructs a popular contemporary novel aimed at a ‘queer’ young adult readership
A landmark work of gay ethnography, an avant-garde fusion of folk and modernity, and a chance comment in a great interview
ANGUS REID applauds the inventive stagecraft with which the Lyceum serve up Stevenson’s classic, but misses the deeper themes
Similar stories
A bucket-list of visuals, the unsung heroine of IVF, queer love in the City of London, and half a musical: The Star's critic MARIA DUARTE reviews Blink, Joy, Layla and Wicked
SIMON PARSONS applauds a moving version of Ishiguro’s vision of a world in which science and ethics have diverged
SIMON PARSONS marvels at a production of Williams’s early masterpiece that transforms the play into a symbolic slow dance of tensions, fears and desires