Theatre review: Mother Tongue, Summerhall (Venue 26), Edinburgh
A ONE-WOMAN show about trying to get pregnant may sound like the kind of self-absorbed piece best avoided, but Summerhall isn’t your average Fringe venue and writer/performer Jillian Lauren isn’t an average right-on, middle-class hippy from LA.
For a start, she knows how to poke fun at herself and those around her.
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Hide AdThrough a clever story that makes imaginative use of digital media, Lauren playfully sends up herself and three characters: a frazzled Bel Air mom who makes video diaries on “therapeutic parenting”, a gum-chewing girl adopted from Malawi and a drug addict forced to give up her child. Able to mimic those she meets with accuracy and compassion, Lauren is glamourous, funny and likeable.
After trying out a long list of alternative therapies to help her conceive, Lauren decides to adopt a child from Ethiopia. The wider debate surrounding taking children from Third World countries isn’t explored, but as an adopted child herself, Lauren gives thought-provoking insights into our need to feel like we belong somewhere.
Rating: ***
• Until 15 August. Today 4pm.