 In a near-future, overpopulated Britain where the far-right Reform party has seized power and Nigel Farage is Prime Minister, the chillingly Parental Act forces every would-be parent to obtain a government license before having children. In this electric and razor-sharp dark comedy, we follow Gareth (Zak Reay-Barry) and Lily (Briony Martha), a charming middle class young couple whose joy at an unplanned pregnancy is swiftly tempered by the State’s demand that they attend a week-long “retreat.” The rules are brutal: pass, and you keep the baby; fail, and a forced abortion awaits. They enter certain it will be a breeze but under the constant, probing voice of the retreat’s unseen authority, the cracks in their confidence begin to show.
This is one of the best productions at the festival and a masterclass in balancing biting satire with genuine emotional stakes. The near-future setting is vividly and convincingly realised, full of unnerving details that make it feel terrifyingly close to our present reality. The world is conjured almost entirely through the work and writing of its two leads who are also the play’s co-writers The performances are brilliant. Zak Reay-Barry and Briony Martha have an undeniable chemistry, effortlessly convincing us of the couple’s long history together with the shared jokes, the quiet intimacies, and the buried resentments. Briony Martha, with an intensity and fragility reminiscent of a young Kate Dickie, is a revelation; you feel she’s on the cusp of a major career. Together, they navigate the piece’s hairpin turns between tenderness, comedy, mania, and despair with physicality and precision, making every emotional shift land with impact. The third, unseen character is Torya Winters as the disembodied voice of the State. She is an omnipresent interrogator whose clipped, faux-polite condescension drips with the worst traits of British authority. Winters captures perfectly that insidious mix of patronising cheer and quiet menace, becoming as oppressive a presence as any physical figure could be. The play feels urgent with Reform UK polling disturbingly well, fuelled by casual voters or those convinced Farage is merely a “bit of a character,” Do Astronauts Masturbate in Space? becomes a chilling warning. Like America’s post-Trump voter regret, it shows how quickly complacency curdles into horror when people assume the consequences of extremist politics will never reach their own doorstep. The Parental Act may be fictional, but the erosion of rights, the creeping normalisation of control, and the ease with which everyday people can be complicit in injustice are all painfully real. Lee Hutchison 5/5 Do Astronauts Masturbate In Space? Venue: Willow Studio at Greenside @ Riddles Court Dates: August 11th to 23rd (excluding 17th) Time: 1950 Tickets: www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/do-astronauts-masturbate-in-space |
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