Review: Agatha

By Erin Deborah Waks

What do you do when you want children, but your partner doesn’t? Is love enough to keep you together? Should everyone have, or want, children? These are the tough questions posed by Florence Howard’s debut play Agatha, which explores the gradual breakdown of a couple as important questions start to tug at the seams of their relationship.

The true stand-out performance was Trieve Blackwood-Cambridge as Ben, the funny, amiable male protagonist. His character, though, does beg the question - do we like him because he is extroverted, charming, romantic, or merely because he wants children? In a society where the childless are vilified, deemed lesser, Ben’s flaws are seemingly forgiven because, let’s face it, a couple should have children. Right?

Agatha, or Aggy, portrayed by Florence Howard herself, is more complex. Through dialogue that teeters on the line between conversational and awkward or strained, she navigates her complicated relationship with motherhood and, incidentally, her own mother. Adamant she does not want children, she must grapple with what it means to be a woman in her own right, enough as she is on her own. Aggy is at times cold and unfeeling, and her love for Ben was not quite as undoubtable as Ben’s love for her. But I can’t help wondering if her distinct ‘unlikeability’ is more to do with her not wanting children than any downfalls regarding her character.

There are a few cracks in an otherwise highly enjoyable and thought-provoking show. Some of the special effects, music and lighting hit the mark, but others are overdone and fall flat, creating a jarring and unseemly ambiance. Similarly, Emily Mytton’s Lena is slightly over-acted and forced, making for a less believable fraught mother-daughter relationship. 

Nonetheless, Agatha sheds light on important questions regarding motherhood, identity, love and communication.

You can buy tickets for Agatha at Theatre 503, showing until Saturday 15th July, at https://theatre503.com/whats-on/agatha/.