Review: PENNYROYAL by Lucy Roslyn at Finborough Theatre 12 July – 6 August 2022

‘A discreetly sensitive play … it covers hugely important topics which should concern everyone’ ★★★★

This is a gentle play about motherhood, sisterhood and conception. A thoughtful, private and provoking study of sisters, Christine and Daphne. When Daff is diagnosed with Premature Ovarian Insufficiency at 19, her sister Chris agrees to donating her eggs. We meet the pair when they are reunited after a rift. Their backstory is brought to life ending with a hard-hitting denouement which brings to the foreground the myth of the ‘old maid’. The play is nicely tied up at the end; even though it feels a little contrived, it does have a sense of completion.

Lucy Roslyn as Chris is replete with personality traits which give immense depth to her role, and by contrast Madison Clare as Daphne is shallow and selfish but there is a warmth to her character. Both roles are very finely acted, with Roslyn having the special ability of being sharply funny at will and giving a quirky performance which is also very engaging.  

There are some clever decisions being made here, with the sisters not even looking remotely similar, allowing questions about their biological relationship. The set (by Sophie Thomas) which gives off a yoga retreat kind of ambience, with lights and plants in bottles, augments Chris’ calm personality and her love of gardening. It also reminds us of the natural world which appears to effortlessly reproduce itself, but in fact, humans have been modifying plants for generations. 

Ultimately, this hyper feminine piece of theatre, brings science in its wake but doesn’t really offer much opposition to artificial means of procreation. There is no discussion of ethics here, it just shows the pain which two specific women experience in their route to motherhood. A beautifully thoughtful piece with a depth of truth which one can only imagine must surely have been plundered from aspects of the playwright’s own life (but who knows). It is a discreetly sensitive play about the lives of the chosen subjects. It covers hugely important topics which should concern everyone. 

PENNYROYAL by Lucy Roslyn

Finborough Theatre 12 July – 6 August 2022

https://finboroughtheatre.co.uk/production/pennyroyal/

Actors LUCY ROSLYN, MADISON CLARE

Director JOSH ROCHE

Design SOPHIE THOMAS

Lighting Design CHENG KENG

Music and Sound Design HUGH SHEEHAN

Presented by Jessie Anand Productions in association with Neil McPherson for the Finborough Theatre.

Reviewed by Heather Jeffery