Theatre Review: Pennyroyal

I was delighted to hear about Lucy Rosalyn's play, Pennyroyal, and booked my ticket for the next night. Rosalyn wrote the play during the first lockdown in early 2020, inspired by Edith Wharton's 1922 novella The Old Maid, which was adapted ten years later into a stage play by Zoe Akins – the second female Pulitzer Prize winner for drama. The subject matter of the play is very much not Wharton-esque, in that it focuses on premature ovarian insufficiency, and yet by exploring themes of family, sisterhood, and the loss of potential, the play is timeless in a sense.

Finsborough Theatre, an off-West End theatre in London, was the ideal venue for this intimate play: the space allowed the audience to feel immersed in the wonderfully uninterrupted 75-minute conversation by the two characters, sisters Christine and Daphne (referred to throughout the play as Chris and Daff). The play opens with Chris (played by Rosalyn) recounting how life changed after Daff (played by Madison Clare) was diagnosed with premature ovarian insufficiency at 19. While she wasn't planning on having children anytime soon, the loss of her ability to do so shakes her, and launches her into years of impulsivity, clinging to any semblance of control. She abandons university and her university fiancé, Ian, who she cared so much about, she calls him Alan throughout the play. She tells Chris that she's hopeful her friend Aubrey will donate her eggs. This revelation horrifies Chris, who keeps highlighting how any children born would be Aubrey's – not Daff's. This, along with other concerns, is too much for Chris, and, as sisters do, she offers to donate her eggs instead. The discussion around these eggs and what they represent form the bulk of the play, without being overbearing – a difficult task that Rosalyn managed to pull off effortlessly.

The play provides a beautifully organic discussion on the power of being denied the chance of something you didn't even know you wanted. Daff's life unravels chaotically as she processes the loss of a potential that she didn't know she might want – children. She poignantly reflects on her premature ovarian insufficiency: 'There is nothing like losing the option to make you realise what you would have done.' After travelling and embracing a hedonistic life, she returns home and begins dating Matt, Chris' best friend. With Chris' eggs fertilised with Matt's sperm, Daff now has frozen embryos, each a potential child – named already of course, as Daff places all her eggs in one basket. Heartbreakingly, with each unsuccessful thaw, Daff's grief grows exponentially.

Daff's ovarian insufficiency isn't the only difficult topic discussed in Pennyroyal. When Daff asks Chris about Matt, Chris' reticence in describing her relationship with him is clear. While initially it may have seemed like jealousy, as the play progresses, it becomes apparent that Chris was also processing her own feelings and coming to terms with her sexuality. When she shares how much she regrets not telling her mother, the audience's sniffling echoed around the intimate space. This revelation is tied to the play's ending, where Chris seemingly asks Daff for the final embryos. The ending was slightly confusing and felt rushed, and almost negates the egg donation in the first place. I understood the ending as part of the nature of the sisterly relationship depicted throughout, with Chris' request similar to Daff's initial (unspoken) one at the start of the play.

I found the depiction of the delicate balance Chris tries to maintain between loving her sister and wanting to protect Matt heart wrenching, especially as Daff's instability destroys the relationship. While it's hard to illustrate the naturally unpredictable and, at times contradictory, relationships sisters have with each other, Rosalyn manages to do so, by interspersing the arguments Chris and Daff have with moments of tenderness and care. The title of the play beautifully sums up Chris and Daff's relationship: Pennyroyal is a type of mint that has medicinal properties, while being poisonous if not handled correctly or overconsumed – like the relationship Chris and Daff share.