‘Eggs’, with the strap-line ‘Friendship, Fertility, Freaking’ sounded like it might have been a feminist rant but the actual show turned out to be a refreshing study of the ups and downs of female friendship in relation to issues of shifting social status, fertility and essentially, life in general. The title itself is multi-faceted, with references ranging from the biological to the electronically vibrating varieties but ‘Eggs’ could perhaps also refer to the protagonists themselves The play was well acted, with the two characters; one idiomatic and scatty, the other more stable and conventional, being effective foils from start to finish. Emily Curtis and Lauren Nicole-Mayes are both talented and versatile performers, excellently suited as a very contemporary female ‘Odd Couple’, appropriately hailing from opposite coastal towns in the North.
The mood of the play shifted pleasingly and seamlessly from cheerful and chatty to agonised and introspective. The basic nature of the Edge Theatre suited the rough settings and sometimes coarse themes of the play extremely well. The Edge production team used lighting to good effect, with bold greens and reds emphasising the play’s continually shifting moods. The music used to introduce the different scenes was also tasteful and pertinent; and it was obvious that great thought had gone into every aspect of the script. There was also a continuously strong physical aspect to the show, including some impressive dance routines!
‘Eggs’ was vividly contemporary in both content and performance, with skilful use made of social media and many tangential references to the potent impact of neo-liberal expectations on contemporary youth. It seemed to evoke a whole world of shadowy powers and influences without straining to be overtly ‘political’ in a heavy-handed Brechtian sense; simply put, the world ‘leaked’ onto the stage without fuss or effort, a quiet but potent presence in every scene. Similarly, the feminist themes were deftly handled without a trace of tub-thumping or ranting, with plenty of sharp gags and dry female humour to drive the action along.
This was essentially a very funny play, with the audience laughing heartily throughout and the performers clearly enjoying themselves but the poignant moments were handled with great sensitivity and candour, with no sudden shifts in mood. There was an awful lot packed into a performance of little more than one hour, leaving the audience with much to digest.
‘Eggs’ will shortly be transferring to London for a production run.
Reviewers - John Waterhouse and John Keane
on - 12/4/19
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