Jack Studio Theatre – until 17 March. Reviewed by Claire Roderick
4****
I must admit, I was a bit worried when I saw that Stuffed was about a couple’s struggle with fertility. I had plenty of tissues at the ready, expecting a little melodrama, but Stuffed is wonderfully uplifting and funny. Lucy Joy Russell and Holly McFarlane have written an intelligent and insightful play packed with belly laughs but still emotionally focused on the couple’s pain. The tone is set in the tongue in cheek presentation explaining IVF using extremely literal slides.
40-year-old Kim and Jack have been through a few rounds of IVF and are trying everything to discover if there is a particular reason they can’t have children. After a chance meeting with old university friend Grace, the couple renew their bond with Grace and her husband Colin, who are shocked that they want children. Seeing their friends’ children and reminiscing about their youth makes Kim begin to question every life choice she made, begins to blame herself for wasting precious time, and question whether she is a real woman if she isn’t a mother.
This sounds a little grim, but the writing is so natural and relatable that you are invested in these characters within a few minutes. Kim and Jack’s hiding behind banter and tasteless jokes is underpinned by the look of longing and loss that creeps over Kim’s (Faye Maughan) face in quieter moments. Maughan, almost constantly onstage, gives a quietly passionate performance, portraying the strength and roiling emotions of Kim as each round of IVF fails. Ben Scheck gives strong support as Jack, excelling in the more serious and less showy scene where the couple decide their future. Alexander Tol and co-writer Holly McFarlane have the best lines in the show, he as laid-back Colin, and she as Kim’s mum and dreadful dinner party guest Carole.
Played against a black backdrop, with colour coded chair coverings and costumes signalling where each scene is set, director Rory Fairbairn allows the narrative to flow coherently, with scene changes accompanied by a nostalgic soundtrack from the characters’ university days. The play ends with a note of hope and self-acceptance that makes you want to cheer. What more could you ask for?