Between the Forties and Sixties, obstetrician Mary Barton and her husband Bertold Wiesner ran a pioneering fertility clinic in London. The many children they helped bring into the world were affectionately known as the Barton Brood. But, disconcertingly, it later came to light that Wiesner himself provided the sperm for about 600 of them.
This true story has inspired Maud Dromgoole’s play, which imagines the implications of their actions. It begins with grieving Kieran, who discovers that he’s Wiesner’s biological son and sets out to locate as many half-siblings as he can. This journey into the Brood’s tangled heritage prompts a clamour of questions — some ticklish, others devastating.
In Tatty Hennessy’s lean production Katy Stephens and Emma Fielding play 39 people. Illuminated panels tell us who’s speaking: Stephens is good at portraying the more angular, difficult personalities and Fielding at probing the ruminative ones.
The writing is mostly witty, though two scenes (one involving ventriloquism, the other chickens and chocolate buttons) are jarringly incongruous. The frequent shuffling between characters can be confusing, and a few pivotal details are relayed too briskly, but there are sensitive observations about family, identity and legacy.
Until April 13 (020 7287 2875, jermynstreettheatre.co.uk)
