Edinburgh Fringe 2025
Eggs Aren’t That Easy To Make.
Big Sofa Theatre and Counterminers
Genre: Theatre
Venue: Underbelly
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
Best friends Claire and Dan make a pact, if she’s in a lesbian relationship at 30, he will be the sperm donor. Now is the time to call in that favour!
Review
Maria Telnikoff previously wrote and performed a gorgeous piece of theatre, My Dad Wears A Dress, one of my personal picks of the Fringe of that year. It was an inspiring, honest account of growing up with a Dad who was a cross dresser, a tribute to parenting. On that alone, I was attracted to her new play, Eggs Aren’t That Easy to Make, and she confirmed my opinion that she is a very good writer of observational comedy. Claire and Ollie are University friends, and, whilst partying after both are newly single, they make a pact that, if she’s in a lesbian relationship at 30, he will be their sperm donor. What follows is a delicious gay romcom, with loveable characters that are identifiable. Having wanted to create a show in which queer joy is at the forefront, the company certainly succeed in this aim.
The team play the script with great affection and comic timing. Claire, now in a relationship with Lou, has forgotten the pact made with Dan, and the relationship is authentically played, I believed the two women were building a life together. It’s Dan who is initially disappointed, but he goes suitably overboard when permission is given. He is a totally adorable character, ditzy and loveable. Dan’s partner is the sensible one, and the tension between Lou and Dan is palpable and nicely played. Add to that the fact that pregnancy is rarely straightforward, and the script builds tensions very nicely.
The play leads us to a wonderful pastiche of the end of Four Weddings and a Funeral, when the characters race through a storm to tell Lou how they feel, and to give her gifts and mix tapes to help with the birth. As each character bursts onto the stage, each one wetter than the former, it takes us towards a hilarious, life affirming conclusion. And the final scene puts love, queer love, parental love, centre stage, and that is to be celebrated. The play seems to have modest aims, but there is a joy and tenderness that lifts it above many comedies, and it certainly connected with the highly appreciative audience.
