Writer and Director: Fabien O’Farrell
In a tiny room, upstairs in a small pub, hidden in the corner of Sheffield’s university campus, four actors took to the ‘stage’ to present the first ever performance of Bye Bye Baby, before taking it to Leeds and then onto the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The play deals with a large number of modern societal issues, including climate change, feminism, family and, as the title may suggest, abortion.
Fabien O’Farrell’s new play handles these issues very well, whilst not dwelling on anything for too long. The setting of a chip shop after a night out is the perfect location to enable the three central women to discuss their individual struggles and show their deep friendship. The play is brilliantly fast paced, although at times some slightly slower moments wouldn’t go amiss. Despite the characters being drunk for most of the play, O’Farrell has created some fantastically well rounded characters who the audience can really root for.
Alice Waller gives a great performance as Lucie. She portrays the conflict and challenges that can come around getting pregnant in the most unfortunate of circumstances exceptionally well. Phoebe Graham plays ultra-feminist Ali. Her performance is very enjoyable to watch and she gets the perfect amount of obnoxiousness whilst not becoming a stereotype. Eden Vaughan completes the leading trio as Ellie. Her comic timing is impeccable whilst her heartfelt moments about navigating climate change whilst wanting to have a family really struck a chord. The trio have a brilliant rapport and are all people who one may genuinely find living in their university halls of residence.
Luke Holland completes the cast, making a brief appearance as Tom, the only male character seen on stage. His performance is great and he makes a believable, slightly unlikeable, slightly cocky male student. However the writing of the character feels somewhat underdeveloped, especially in comparison to the three women. On the whole, the play can lean towards stereotyping men into one category. By no means should men be excused for the uncomfortable position they can put women in and for the detestable acts they can perform, but the presence of a more supportive and understanding male figure could have added another level of depth and nuance to the play. Some of the viewpoints put forward by Tom possibly shouldn’t have been batted away so quickly and could have benefitted from further exploration, such as the question around when life really begins which can play a major role in the decision making for some women.
Bye Bye Baby is a powerful play, and whilst there is room for development in some areas (possibly even adding a second act discussing the decision that Lucie finally settles on and whether the man in question ever finds out), it feels topical and very current. It is a showcase of four very talented actors and Fabien O’Farrell’s ability to construct wonderful three dimensional characters.
Runs at Edinburgh Fringe Festival from 5 to 13 August.
1 Comment
This review is ridiculous. The show is great and all about young women supporting each other through a uniquely female experience, so why does this writer spend so much time writing about the male character that’s in the play for five minutes? The show didn’t really need that male character aside from showing Lucy that she needn’t bother calling Simon. This writer needs to get off his patriarchal high horse and spend more time thinking about the women characters the show revolves around instead of critiquing the lack of male representation.