Written by Kathryn for Theatre and Tonic

Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review. All views are our own

Sally Hobson’s ‘Baby Mash-Up, What On Earth Are You Doing?’ is informed by her own experiences of migrating from Belfast after the Troubles and the struggles that come with not having a connection to your place and community.

The play follows central character Baby Mash-Up as we travel with her through time and space, through fragments of memories and dreams, as she tries to figure out who she is, and what her purpose is in life.

Claire Lamont is brilliant as Baby Mash-Up, bringing a perfect balance of dry humour and curiosity to the role. She is in the middle of an existential crisis, but it’s OK she’ll just tap dance her way through it. A strong ensemble featuring Jasmin Gleeson, Pauline Goldsmith, Paul Gorman, Cristian Ortega and Benny Young make up the rest of the cast, appearing as a variety of characters including Baby Mash-Up’s family.

Cal Owen’s set is simplistic: a raised wooden platform in the middle of the stage. The characters interact with this in multiple ways to take us through a variety of different locations. Throughout the show, images and words are projected on screens behind the stage, and I particularly enjoyed an effect where images were projected onto bed sheets, hung out to dry.

Throughout the play, Baby-Mash Up is trying to find answers. From reading the programme and some interviews, I’ve learned Hobson hopes the piece will inspire audiences to reflect on their own lives and the people in it, and to find appreciation in life here on earth. Although I found the play engaging enough and I enjoyed it, I did struggle to connect the different memories, dreams and questions together in a tangible plot line, and on leaving I wasn’t really sure what I was supposed to be thinking or feeling.

I can see what Hobson’s vision is with Baby Mash-Up, and understand it a bit better now having read more about the play and her thoughts behind it. However to me this just didn’t come across on stage at all and it all just felt a bit disjointed. But, then again, maybe that’s the point. Isn’t life itself, filled with shifting priorities, sudden changes, and fragmented experiences, a bit disjointed?

‘Baby Mash-Up, What On Earth Are You Doing?’ Plays at the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh on Friday 22 and Saturday 23 May.

★ ★ ★

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