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Four soon-to-be mothers attend ante natal classes run by midwife Sheila, who tries to teach them something about what’s in store for them in the weeks leading up to the birth of their babies; but this advice is regularly lost amid her husband Graham’s frequent entrances, reunions of old friends, and pearls of wisdom from one of the lady’s cousins. All this provides comedy, poignancy, and moments that most women (and men) in the audience can relate to.
We are introduced to a teenage schoolgirl, a career woman in her forties who has turned to IVF, a nosey hairdresser, and a young woman who has returned to the town with a seemingly mysterious past. While these characters may seem clichéd, it’s only because they’re true to life. If one were to walk into any maternity ward today, it’s a fair bet that the characters in this play would be representative of the people there.
It’s fair to say that the average age of the audience was 40 or older, and that there were probably more women than men, but that doesn’t reflect that universality of the play’s themes. Those of us who have never experienced pregnancy may not be able to relate to the women’s situations, but it doesn’t mean we can’t recognise and appreciate the jokes. There is certainly something for the students to relate to in Sheila’s anxieties about her eighteen year old son leaving for a gap year in Australia.
The staging is cleverly arranged so that when the lights change, the walls of the hospital room become translucent and transform into the local DIY shop, or alternatively they reveal the various characters in lit up boxes, singing some of the plays numerous musical numbers. It’s a pity that, while the play appears so genuine, it introduces a musical feel that belies its realism. Occasionally the cast will begin choreographed dancing, and singing that is often drowned out by the music, and we are transported into a musical that comes out of nowhere and jars with the feel of the rest of the play.
If you can get past this, however, the rest of the play is a gem. Collin Tarrant and Lucy Beaumont steal the show as Sheila’s accident prone husband Graham and chavvy teenage girl Jessica, respectively. It is refreshing to get a male’s take on all of this from Graham, as we never see the other women’s respective partners, and much of the comedy comes from Graham’s eager-to-please attitude, even if sometimes it’s the last thing they want. There is also some hilarious physical comedy, particularly from Kali Peacock as Teresa.
Up the Duff mixes comedy, tragedy and life experiences that we can all relate to in one way or another, with a bit of mystery added in to spice things up. As this is the play’s world premiere, one can only hope that it goes on to gain a bigger audience.
Up the Duff continues at York Theatre Royal until November 28.
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