A poignant drama about attitudes to teenage pregnancy in 1960s Britain.

Mary Adams, aged 19, is unmarried and seven months pregnant. Forcibly sent to a Mother-and-Baby Home in the north of England by a mother intent on keeping up appearances, Mary - along with the other girls in the home - has to cope with both the shame and the dawning realisation that she will have to give the baby up for adoption whether she likes it or not.

Despite this - and an overbearing matron - the girls' youthful effervescence keeps breaking through as they sing along to the girl-group songs of the period.

Amanda Whittington's hugely touching play Be My Baby was first performed by Soho Theatre Company at the Pleasance Theatre, London, in 1998.

This edition of Be My Baby includes new scenes added for several successful revivals of the play.

About the Author
Amanda Whittington is one of the most widely performed playwrights in the UK. Her plays include Be My Baby (Soho Theatre, 1998), Satin 'n' Steel (Nottingham Playhouse, 2005), Ladies' Day (Hull Truck, 2005) and its sequels Ladies Down Under (Hull Truck, 2007) and Ladies Unleashed (Hull Truck, 2022), The Thrill of Love (New Vic Theatre, Newcastle-under-Lyme, 2013), Kiss Me Quickstep (New Vic Theatre, 2016), Mighty Atoms (Hull Truck, 2017) and The Invincibles (Queen's Theatre, Hornchurch, 2023). She has adapted Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, My Judy Garland Life and Tipping the Velvet for the stage. She writes regularly for BBC Radio 4, contributing to the Woman's Hour serial and Afternoon Play slots. Her stage plays have also become a popular choice for amateur, community and school productions across the country.

Reviews

'Poignant, powerful and still pertinent... Whittington's play about yesterday sings out to today'

* Observer *

'You don't have to be young, female or unmarried to find it immensely touching'

* The Times *

'Whittington cleverly coats the bitter pill of her characters' experience with the sugared naivety of popular girl-group routines'

* Guardian *



Book Information
ISBN 9781854598875
Author Amanda Whittington
Format Paperback
Page Count 64
Imprint Nick Hern Books
Publisher Nick Hern Books
Weight(grams) 80g
Dimensions(mm) 197mm * 130mm * 6mm