For the majority of prospective parents there is no exam to be taken, no background checks, nor any references required. If you’re hoping to adopt however, the process is far more rigorous; an endless amount of checks and balances which must be presented to the ‘adoption committee’. Barry McStay’s Breeding, now headlining the A Queer Interrogation season at the King’s Head delves into one couple’s struggle to create the perfect family.
Zeb and Eoin meet in a club and bond over their unusual names, fast forward a couple of years, the pair are married, and Eoin in particular is keen to start a family. Breeding doesn’t necessarily try to present the process from the point of view of a gay couple; it’s the “new normal” they’re told, though it certainly explores some of the prejudices they experience along the way.
The first half especially is riotously funny, quick witted quips and clever one liners are peppered through the initial interactions that Zeb and Eoin have with their social worker, Beth (superbly portrayed by Aamira Challenger). It’s an odd, but endearing, dynamic that starts to emerge between the trio. Zeb, who claims he would be the ‘fun’ daddy seems to build an even closer bond with the social worker than his awkward husband (the ‘serious’ daddy) manages to achieve.
When Zeb becomes unwell, Eoin is faced with difficult choices; to care for his husband, to pursue his dream of having children, or to try and do both. It’s an interesting turn in the plot because the decision that Eoin makes might be surprising to some, and for the first time makes us question the character’s motivations.
Matthew Iliffe’s production morphs quite easily from bawdy gay comedy to heartfelt and emotional drama, several members of the audience were reduced to tears by the play’s conclusion. It’s easy to see why; Breeding isn’t sentimental for the sake of it, it’s beautiful, honest and raw storytelling done terrifically well.
Writer, McStay plays Eoin, and does so with all the nervous energy required for a man that shies away from cocaine and threesomes, while fretting that offering Beth a biscuit might be construed as a bribe. Daniel Nicholson portrays the uber confident Zeb with an easy to watch, laid back demeanour, so that in the rare occasions the character does lose his temper, it hits home all the more.
Breeding is an eye-opening play, certainly for the way it unashamedly questions attitudes around adoption, but also for the way it defines its characters so clearly, only to shock us as the plot takes unexpected directions. As the headline show for the A Queer Interrogation season, Breeding is an accomplished piece of work that could easily have further life.
