19 Weeks

19 Weeks feels different from the outset. Played in the pool at COMO - The Treasury, the audience sit with their feet in the water, and are soon submerged in this fascinating, gripping and heartbreaking story. 

Playwright Emily Steel’s second pregnancy felt different from the outset.  At 19 weeks, she had a termination after her baby was diagnosed with Down Syndrome. This is Emily’s story, relayed with love, humour, sadness and absolute honesty. It is one woman’s journey through a situation many women face, but is almost never discussed. 

Solo performer Tiffany Lyndall Knight is an outstanding storyteller and a compelling actor who gives a wonderfully layered performance. The audience barely move during the show - completely invested both in Steel’s excellent and truthful writing, and Knight’s deep and beautiful portrayal.

The use of the pool becomes a wonderful metaphor for many things throughout the story, from the amniotic fluid of pregnancy to drowning in isolation. The gentle splashes of the water add to Josh Belporio’s emotive composition.

19 Weeks is an extraordinary, riveting and important piece of theatre. While its Perth run has finished, it is an absolute must see at Adelaide Fringe.

Kimberley Shaw

Photographer: Sia Duff.

Links to more Fringe World 2018 Reviews.