“Be My Baby” by Prospect Players
Bonington Players

Written by local playwright Amanda Whittington, this play is all about 19 year old Mary Adams who has been placed in a religious mother-baby home by her mother because in the 1960’s it was heavily frowned upon for an unmarried girl to fall pregnant as this would bring shame on the family.

This meant that these girls had to hide their children and were not allowed out in public as they would be scorned for their states. These girls were laughed at, made inferior and were simply not accepted by society, and the aim of these homes was to keep them out of the public eye.

Other pregnant girls staying at the home are Queenie, Norma and Dolores. Queenie is a street-smart girl with a past and also dreams of being a singer, Dolores is a dreamer whilst Norma is not very bright. Each of them is forced to come to terms with their pregnancy, and through the time that they spend at the home, not only do they learn a little bit about pregnancy but the four girls also become great friends, bonding over songs by The Ronettes and The Dixie Cups.

This play had more of an effect on me than I had expected it to have. Being a parent I could not imagine being without my kids, but having to hand your child over minutes after giving birth seems unthinkable. Not only that but the ignorance of this process is just as heart-breaking as the knowledge of the procedure with the girls.

Beverley Graham (Mrs Adams) is really hard-faced, and unfeeling as the mother who knew what was needed to keep shame away from the family home, even lying to her husband as to where Mary was.

Fiona Shore (Mary) gave a really heart-felt performance and the final scenes were really emotional.

Nicola Hawes (Dolores) is a real friend in need with Norma.Her caring and protective calm character indicates that Dolores would be a lovely mother one day.

Paula Smith (Norma) gives some really emotional performances. Her naivety and belief that she would be on her way to hell just made you want to give her a hug. In the second act her relentless searching for her newly born son just breaks the hardest of hearts.

Helen Foster (Queenie) puts up a good front; hard as nails and streetwise, but that cover is blown in the second part of the play and we see why she has created this protective shield. She also has a lovely voice.

The actors have captured the physicality well, and while I know not if all of the actors have experienced the joy of childbirh, as well as all the painful aches and pains of the build up, they all looked the part and presented the physical discomfort of their characters with realism..

Eileen Frier-Kelsey (Matron) presented a softer Matron than I had expected, but that is no criticism because, while being stern when she needed to be, you could tell that she had a job to do, but she also was a mother figure who just wanted what was best for the girls. You get the feeling that she had a back story that she herself protected, and only once did we see a slight glimpse of her history.

From the opening scene you had a feel of the early sixties with the props, and the costumes, especially Matron's, and it made me think of TV shows like "The Royal", "Call the Midwife" etc, so straight away you were whisked back to that era.

The music also helped place you back in the days of the girl group greats, The Dixie Cups, The Ronettes, Bob B Soxx and The Blue Jeans, Dusty Springfield, The Supremes, The Shirelles etc. A brilliant soundtrack which helped with the scene changes.

The set was split into Matron's Office, the laundry and the girl's dormitory, and the lighting helped spotlight, if you'll pardon the pun, the three areas. This also meant that the need for scenery was not paramount, and for me this wasn't needed due to the strong acting, story and lighting design.The lighting was courtesy of Alan Wilson and the Bonington Theatre crew, as was the sound.

Directed by Liz Hagan, she squeezed every bit of emotion from this play, and the actors, and also gave the audience, whatever age, something to think about, making us realise just how far we've come and how lucky we are to have a completely different way of life in the UK. Other countries though have not moved on as far as we have over here.

Amanda Whittington has created characters who have colour, and the local siting of these characters, and the story, make us feel that we are part of the community that the play is set in.

The emotional aspect is evident, but there's also a lot of humour in this play, and warmth as the girls, from different backgrounds really bond and look after each other.

“Be My Baby” is at the Bonington Theatre, Arnold until Saturday 18 May.