A queer romcom about life, love, friendship and sperm donation, Eggs Aren’t That Easy To Make is a light, airy piece with many strong moments.
Best friends Claire and Dan make a drunken pact: if she is in a lesbian relationship when she is older, she wants Dan to be the donor. Ten years later, Claire and girlfriend Lou are ready to take the parenthood plunge: but is this pact from the past a stroke of genius, or will it become overcooked?
Written by Maria Telnikoff, and directed by Lauren Tranter, Eggs Aren’t That Easy To Make takes the genre and gives it a queer twist. With a four-strong cast and simple staging, the piece poses some interesting questions about the limits of friendship, boundaries, and the additional obstacles that LGBTQ+ couples have to overcome.
Centred on the romantic relationship between Claire (Rachel Andrews) and Lou (Esther Carr), the pair struggle to find a suitable sperm donor once they decide they would like to have a child. Enter Dan, Claire’s best friend and all round good egg, who remembered the decade-old promise and has been waiting in the wings for a chance to be “the daddy”.
This is a somewhat uneven piece that struggles to find the right pitch and pace. There are some lengthy sequences—such as choosing a donor and baby names—that are initially quite funny, but are stretched beyond the last laugh, becoming somewhat tedious. The characters are not as clearly intentioned as one would hope, and the comedic elements often detract from potentially interesting plot points. That said, Thomas Kingman’s over-exuberant Dan is hilarious, ably aided by Sofia Rosen-Fouladi as both his girlfriend Naomi and the group’s zany birthing coach.
This is a thoughtful and often enjoyable play, with a sweet central premise and some pointed references. The balance is just not quite right however, with both the sincerity and comedy of the piece undercut by a lack of drive and an over-reliance on romcom tropes.
By Deborah Klayman
Eggs Aren’t That Easy to Make plays at Underbelly Bristo Square, Edinburgh until August 25th, 2025.
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