Showing @ Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh until Sun 25 Aug @ 14:00
In this piece of new writing by Breman Rajkumar, a night of babysitting quickly descends into both farce and drama. Middle-class parents Sara and Jay need someone to look after their young epileptic daughter Ri. Aaron seems perfect for the job, but he gets more than he bargained for when older sister Nikki starts straddling him in front of her parents.
The first half of the play continues in this ludicrous vein, with comic highlights including a hilariously cringe-inducing discussion of religion (‘No, I’m not Hasidic. I eat bacon most days, actually.’) The performances are uniformly excellent: Sara and Jay’s quibbling is a joy to watch, while babysitter Aaron is played with an average-Joe warmth and impeccable timing. The decision to cast a young adult woman as Ri is a gamble that pays off, thanks to the actor’s consistently childlike physicality.
Unfortunately, the play doesn’t quite live up to the promise of its strong start. As the comedy gives way to more serious themes, the quality of the writing wavers. The dramatic climax in particular, involves an emotional about-turn which feels rushed. Despite these flaws however, The Babysitter remains a strong production and Rajkumar a writer to watch.