Theatre Review - The Harmony Test
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| Jemima Rooper, Sandro Rosta and Bally Gill in The Harmony Test [Richad Lakos] |
RICHARD Molloy’s bittersweet play about relationships, conception and pregnancy is well served by Alice Hamilton’s sensitive, pacey direction and beautifully understated performances led by Pearl Chanda and Bally Gill.
Newlyweds Zoe (Chanda) and Kash (Gill) are trying for a baby. Zoe takes a practical approach: fertility plans, vitamin supplements and a strict diet, while Kash, is happy to follow the unorthodox advice of a fellow actor he’s just met in Holland and Barrett.
Empty-nesters Naomi (Jemima Rooper) and Charlie (Miles Twomey) appear to be at the end of their 19-year-old marriage. Then Naomi meets Rocco (Sandro Rosta making his professional debut), a personal trainer at her local gym. Only trouble is he’s half her age. And Charlie doesn’t want their marriage to be over.
Just as Zoe and Kash learn they’re going to be parents, Naomi moves into their spare room and embarks on a passionate affair with the muscular, athletic Rocco.
When the happy couple discover there may be a problem with the healthy development of their baby, Zoe takes the prenatal harmony test, which looks for chromosomal abnormalities. As they anxiously wait for the result the pair are forced to confront their worst fears.
Meanwhile, Naomi and Charlie continue to struggle to find a middle ground, inflicting their marital disharmony onto their friends.
It may not sound particularly original, in terms of its domestic themes, but Molloy’s nuanced writing about the personal and ethical challenges faced by new parents feels utterly fresh. He injects just the right amount of pathos into his gentle comedy.
The Harmony Test is hard to fault – by turn funny and profoundly moving – with all the right ingredients for a satisfying night at the theatre.
Until June 22