Adoption and the care system are at the emotional centre of Julia Cranney’s new monologue. There are hoops to jump through, questions that require you to crack your soul open and hope bubbling beneath it all. Mat (Paislie Reid) and her partner, James, are drawn into early permanence, a pathway in which babies and toddlers are placed with prospective adopters who initially foster them. There is, however, always the possibility that the child could return to their birth family.
The script valuably sheds light on that process but Cranney’s play hops through Mat’s life too quickly to have a potent impact. When we meet her she is isolated, not keen on kids and working in a pharmacy. Then, she falls head over heels for James. Soon their relationship is flourishing, she has bonded with his daughter and they are making plans to start a family of their own.
