Too Many Books at Upstairs at the Gatehouse

The Gatehouse is a cosy venue in Hampstead, home to a wonderfully intimate theatre upstairs. This season, the renowned journalist and broadcaster Judi Bevan is debuting as a playwright with Too Many Books. Directed by Christopher Hunter, the play is deeply thought-provoking and sharply performed.

It follows Julia and Daniel, a highly educated middle-class couple with copious amounts of books lining their walls. What they desire to make their family feel complete is a baby. Too old to adopt a child under two within the UK and not feeling capable of dealing with an older child who is “already traumatised”, they turn to China. One watches as they navigate their home visits with a social worker, who has a critical view on overseas adoption.

Julia and Daniel’s social worker is Zaydee, played by Alexandra O’Neill in her theatre debut. O’Neill is excellent. Zaydee is, at times, the antagonist and, at other times, a much-needed voice of reason, and O’Neill’s portrayal of her makes her the most compelling character in the play. Natural throughout, subtle in scenes where her doubts are planted, and furiously desperate when needed, O’Neill’s Zaydee is the eye of the hurricane.

She is also where conversations of class and privilege are underscored. Bevan uses the Zaydee character to highlight such differences. Julia and Daniel have a beautiful garden, Zaydee has no garden; Julia and Daniel are able to buy last-minute flights to Shanghai, Zaydee struggles with the Tube. Even the disparity between accents, Northern versus RP inflects, shows the contrasting backgrounds. It fosters a series of tricky, touching, and often intense streams of dialogue, where themes of white saviorism, the “rescue problem”, and racism arise. Any piece of media about overseas adoption would be remiss without such themes, yet it does feel as though there were opportunities to push these further, to make the audience more uncomfortable, and to ask deserved and necessary questions.

Too Many Books is a gripping and profoundly interesting story that will impact all. Where one stands on the question of overseas adoption may change, or it may be solidified either way – a fascinating feat of theatre. The mark of a good play is that the audience leaves with things to ponder. Too Many Books does just that. Is it a story of two parents fighting for a child, or one of class and privilege winning out? Can the two things be true at the same time? It’s up to you to see for yourself.

Talitha Stowell
Photos: Alex Brenner

Too Many Books is at Upstairs at the Gatehouse from 26^th February until 16^th March 2025. For further information or to book visit the theatre’s website here.