Written by Maria Telnikoff

Directed by Lauren Tranter

Review by Orly Benn

Underbelly Bristo Square – Jersey

‘Would you let your best friend be your sperm donor?’. This is the tagline that Big Sofa and the Counterminers are using to advertise their newest show Eggs Aren’t That Easy To Make (‘Eggs’), written by Maria Telnikoff and directed by Lauren Tranter. The tagline glowingly encompasses the rare triumph of the show: a simple and intimate narrative that engages with modern, complex relationships. Aside from being an interrogation into the struggle of IVF and parenting (both in the practical and conceptual sense), Eggs is first and foremost an overwhelmingly sweet play about friendship, love, and growing up.

Rachel Andrews (Claire) and Esther Carr (Lou) shine as the central couple, with gloriously nurtured intimacy that genuinely left me wondering if they are in love for the other 23 hours of the day. Thomas Kingman masters the bumbling but endearing role of their sperm donor/ best friend, Dan, with a sheepish charm that demands empathy even in his overstepping obsession with the mothering process. Sofia Rosen-Fouladi injects the comic joy into the joy through parodic multi-role characterisation, standing out in particular in their performance as the flamboyant and shamanistic ante-natal class instructor.

Importantly, however, the skill of the performers is revealed in their ensemble efforts. The four actors, in amalgamation with Constance Comparot’s minimalist and cosy design, excel in showcasing a totally earnest and genuine display of friendship that makes you verbally go ‘aww’ (even if the auditorium lingers with the smell of hard-boiled eggs for a few more minutes than desirable).

The thoughtful performances adequately excavate the intimacy and care in Telnikoff’s script, which is not necessarily ground-breakingly brave, but is ultimately easy-going and skilfully digestible in its contemporary analysis of IVF and all-too-undiscussed queer parenting.

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