REVIEW: At Birth

At Birth is both written and performed by Ty Autry, who plays Isaac, and Thalia Gonzalez Kane, who plays Anna, two friends in a complex but loving relationship, with ups and downs we follow throughout the play. At Birth opens with us meeting Anna and Isaac, at home, drinking wine, and discussing their earliest childhood memories. We learn both of them are queer as their discussion moves onto their recent breakups which both of them still seem to be getting over. It is clear that this is an evening for fun and distraction, however as Anna and Isaac gradually become more and more drunk, the play begins to take a more serious turn. Anna starts to tease Isaac, asking if he would sleep with her if she were a man. They decide to experiment, testing each other and themselves, as they physically get closer. The progressions towards intimacy between Anna and Isaac are staged in an incredibly impressive way. With the help of their Intimacy Director, Monty Davis, Autry and Kane have clearly worked hard on putting together a sexual scene between two queer friends that does not feel cliche or crass in any way. They stage the scenes of foreplay and sexual closeness in a sensitive, funny, and authentic way, between two people who are exploring each other as well as their own sexuality. 

There was so much energy built up from this opening scene which cultivated that ever important initial interest and intrigue from the audience, but unfortunately this starting energy and excitement dwindled as the play continued. The sensitivity and the absorbing dynamic between the two friends was lost in the rest of the plotline. After Anna and Isaac’s drunk one night stand, Anna finds out she is pregnant. This is not something she wants, however Isaac encourages her to take some time to consider continuing with her pregnancy, as he is desperate to be a father. 

As to be expected, abortion became a central theme to this play, as we are navigated through the pros and cons to having a child, and how abortion is treated, particularly in the US. This is a pretty obvious nod towards Roe v. Wade and the vulnerability of women especially in the Southern states of America. As Anna struggles with questions concerning abortion and mothering, the play adopted an explanatory feel which felt like an easy get-out when faced with these themes in theatre. Almost educational, the conversations between Anna and Isaac reminded me of the moral conundrums put to you in high school PSHE classes. There is nothing necessarily wrong with this, the conversations are at points funny and clever, however they lack the subtlety and intrigue that was established at the beginning of the play. Often Anna or Isaac would react to the other with either too much sincerity or not enough, and these immoderate reactions made their dynamic become less convincing. 

Overall, At Birth has its merits. It is a refreshing take on the traditional family structure and is an interesting portrayal of queerness, something we need to see more of in theatre. It is showing at Barons Court Theatre from the 16th to 20th May.