No Kids at Battersea Arts Centre
“Do you want to do this?” “Do you?” George Mann and Nir Paldi star as a same-sex couple in in Ad Infinitum’s bold and touching production of No Kids, an overarching exploration of the issues faced by gay individuals who are considering starting a family.
The duo dance to Madonna’s Hung Up, an impressive energetic number that shows skill and dynamism. Multi-coloured clothes adorn the stage on rails, a nod to the rainbow-coloured symbol of the gay rights movement. As they quarrel, a baby’s cry is overheard throughout the show, a sign of the couple’s anxieties. Nir and George discuss if they should use a surrogate mother or adopt, whilst also considering the overall environmental effects of having a baby; there are currently seven billion people on Earth, a number set to increase to 11 billion by the year 2100.
Performing an extraordinary arrangement of contemporary dance, this time to Madonna’s Vogue, George and Nir list the plethora of items babies require, in 80s fashion. Mann and Paldi depict a range of characters from doctors and social services interviewers, to psychiatrists and an imagined version of their teenage son, presenting the many hurdles potential parents need to pass to bring up a child. Nir states that although gay rights laws have changed, homophobia is still prevalent, and the average individuals adopting are heteronormative. At times confident and positive, the pair go through doubt and personal fears, looking back at their own troubled childhoods, providing moments of reflection and humour, in an otherwise serious and life-altering choice.
Selina Begum
Photo: Alex Brenner
No Kids is at Battersea Arts Centre from 5th February until 23rd February 2019. For further information or to book visit the theatre’s website here.
Watch the trailer for No Kids here:
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