Be My Baby

 Written by Amanda Whittington in 1997,Be My Baby is a play that has many emotional ups and downs, it has both comedy as well as tragedy in the story and touches your heart with it’s subject matter. This dramatisation  from Chorley Amateur Dramatic & Operatic Society(CADOS) was an outstanding  interpretation of this multi-layer play. Directed expertly by the talented Rebecca Dickinson, the play is set in the year 1964, and centres around the experience of 19 year old Mary Adams, a cashier at the Trustee Savings Bank who is taken secretly to St. Saviours, Church of England mother-and-baby home by her mother after she discovers that Mary is seven months pregnant, apparently not even Mary’s Father knows about the pregnancy and was told she was going to stay with a relative. Although the 1960’s (the swinging '60s) was known as, a time when there was more freedom and choice, to be unmarried and pregnant at this time was still considered scandalous, so sometimes these girls hid their pregnancies from family members and others closest to them. Mother- and -baby homes were introduced for unmarried expectant mothers to live and work in, while hiding them away from the public, in order to keep the pregnancy secret, and in most cases, they were forced to give their babies up for adoption. As the age of consent at this time was 21, the decision about adoption was often made by the pregnant girls parents, who justified  their actions by saying this was the best  course of action for their daughters, so that the pregnancy did not affect their future prospects in life. But as we know today the way these girls were treated is thought to be cruel and unacceptable, the danger is that this experience has affected both mother and baby detrimentally and psychologically for the rest of their lives. 
There was excellent use of the stage area which was divided into three sets ,the Laundry, Matrons Office and a Bedroom, all three sets had applicable props which fitted the era of the play. Which ever set was used for a scene was defined by a good lighting plot which meant it stood out from the rest of the stage. Other technical input included lots of sixties music prior to 1964 which helped to set the scene and the plot, the cast also sang along to these records very nicely, singing in harmony on occasions. There were projections onto a conveniently hung sheet in the Laundry which informed the audience of  the year and the amount of time elapsed between scenes. The atmosphere and feel of the play was finished off with well thought out costumes, even down to style of the  smocks and the size of pregnancy prosthesis worn by the  actors in the roles of the pregnant girls.

The cast included a team of talented  actors, who included Emily Cook in the central role of 19 year old Mary Adams, Emily understood Mary’s multi -layered character very well and gave a lovely heartfelt performance of a young girl gradually growing in confidence, who is trying to arrange her own future after finding out that her baby is going to be adopted, but unfortunately she is disappointed to find that no one will give a single mother a job. She ends up in a locked room delivering her baby girl with only her room mate, street wise Queenie  to act as Midwife. Queenie is expecting twins and has been pregnant before, she is a realist  and sees things for what they are and was excellently played by Emma Bailey who got the character just right. Other girls staying at the home along with Mary and Queenie were, Norma played by Rosie-Anne Pemberton, who gave a very sensitive heartbreaking performance when Norma appears to develop a form of puerperal psychosis, after her baby was taken from her at birth for adoption. Then there was the very likeable Dolores played superbly with lots of care and understanding by Rachel Offord. Delores was an intellectually challenged girl who thinks the best of everyone even though it is apparent that her pregnancy is most probably due to being raped by a work colleague that she trusted. The girls become good friends, bonding together and listening to Mary’s records by The Ronettes and The Dixie Cups, which entertain and help them through the long weeks as they work in the laundry and wait for the  birth of their babies. The Matron played very well by Jade Smith came across as strict and a stickler for the rules, but you also feel that underneath she has some understanding and sympathy for the girls' but still does her duty quelling any worries she may have and Steph Threlfall as Mrs Adams, Mary’s mother expertly showed her character’s vulnerability behind the stern exterior that she shows to the world. All the cast supported and worked excellently together which is very important in this type of very emotional wordy play to make it a success. In the end the audience is aware of the inevitability and helplessness of the girls situation, however there is some hope as Mary has gained in confidence, becoming more independent and the support and friendships made by the girls is helping them get through this major traumatic period in their lives, although one worries about the long term affects this experience has.
This was a very thought provoking play which was comedic at times but mostly very poignant. However it is shocking to realise that this awful treatment of pregnant girls happened in living memory of some of the audience.This was an outstanding piece of theatre, thank you for bringing it to the stage. Congratulations  to all involved in this production and thank you for inviting us

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