EDINBURGH 2025: Review: 24 WEEKS, Gilded Balloon
24 Weeks runs at Edfringe until 25 August
24 Weeks is a new play set in a not-so-distant dystopian future where abortion is illegal in the UK.
This particular performance was a relaxed performance, which meant that the cast introduced themselves and their characters at the start, the lights were left on low and there was space for the audience to move around if need be.
Written by Laura Walker, it’s a play of two halves where three flatmates meet in the bathroom of their shared flat. Becca (Erin Jederon-Hogg) is being violently sick, presumably as a result of a wild party. Her friend Faye (Katie Pedelty) is a social worker and their other flatmate Georgia (LJ Williams) is a junior doctor.
The second half of the play flashes back to what really happened the night before. The three interact well together and are convincing friends.
24 Weeks doesn’t shy away from the brutalities of backstreet abortion. In this new reality, women will be jailed for abortion, there are heavy restrictions on the pill and a packet of condoms costs £40- if you can even get them.
While this story is meant to give the laws a more human side, it would have been interesting to hear a bit more about how the laws are shaping things in the outside world. There’s mention of a friend who is in prison for having an abortion but this feels like something that could have been explored more. 24 Weeks is a hard-hitting piece of theatre with a lot of potential.
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