A lesbian couple wanting to conceive and using their best friend for a sperm donor. I knew Eggs Aren’t That Easy to Make would be an emotional rollercoaster, however I did not expect to find myself laughing quite as much as I did!
Following the lives of Claire and Lou with their friends Dan and Naomi, Eggs perfectly captured the messy, imperfect reality that life often is. From drunken confessions to antenatal classes, audiences are taken on a journey that explores a lesbian couple knowing they want to have a child but being conflicted about what that entails and how to prepare for motherhood without losing their best friend and sperm donor in the process.
Whilst Eggs had audience members (myself included) laughing out loud, it also had many profound and emotional moments: how to share the burden and joy of pregnancy, whilst supporting everyone involved. A standout moment for this was watching the cast understand that Naomi didn’t want children, despite being in a straight-presenting couple. The show got to the heart of these complicated and personal issues, whilst remaining joyful and celebrating love in all its forms.
They say it takes a village to raise a child, but this show really portrayed how it takes a village to create a child too, from “terms and conditions” before agreeing to start IVF, to Dan’s parents sending Lou and Claire presents for a new baby. This allowed us to really understand the community involved in conceiving this baby, which was all the more moving and brought the characters to life.
Throughout Eggs, I really got a sense that each of the actors loved being there, that the project was a labour of love, and a story that they felt was worth telling. That is part of the reason the show was such a success!
This was a Fringe show through and through, with gratuitous references to trendy East London and pure queer joy, Eggs is perfect for anyone wanting to be reminding of the joys of found family, twenty-somethings creating their lives, and raw human emotions.
Eggs Aren’t That Easy to Make is running until 25 August at Underbelly Bristo Square.
Buy tickets here.
Image courtesy of Fabi Waters, provided to The Student as press material