Jellyfish, National Theatre, review: Rare gem of a play lets Sarah Gordy shine

Agnes doesn’t think it’s appropriate that Neil is having sex with her daughter, Kelly — but Kelly begs to differ. In her opinion, it’s “f***ing brilliant”. There’s a reason they don’t see eye to eye on this: Kelly has Down’s Syndrome and Neil doesn’t. And then, to make it even more complicated, Kelly gets pregnant.

This is a second chance to see Ben Weatherill’s tender look at the kind of love story we don’t often see. After premiering at the Bush Theatre, it’s now in the National Theatre’s Dorfman — the gesture of having it here feels as moving as the play itself. (Significantly, all performances will take place in a relaxed environment.)

As Kelly, Sarah Gordy brilliantly embodies the fiercely independent streak of a woman desperate for sexual autonomy. (She has a filthy sense of humour too — wait for her joke about cucumbers.) Her mum is concerned about consent – but it’s Kelly who demands a kiss.

Siôn Daniel Young is excellent as Neil; with a mix of idealism and naivety, he rails against the social backwardness that limits the woman he loves. Penny Layden, as Agnes, shows the exasperated pragmatism of someone who knows her daughter’s disability at close quarters. “Caring for Kelly literally means caring for her,” she explains.

Nicky Priest shines in some of the funniest scenes as Dominic, a man with Asperger’s who Agnes sends on a misguided blind date with Kelly; the pair end up bonding over other’s assumptions about people ‘like them’.

Set in Skegness, Tim Hoare’s production mines the humour of life in a slow, slightly crap town; the set, all sand and arcade lights, captures its lost promise and nostalgia. It’s a rare gem of a play that offers a touching reminder that, most of the time, we’re all just trying to do our best.

Until July 16, National Theatre (020 7452 3000; nationaltheatre.org.uk)