Old Vic’s A Number is a smart nature vs nurture thought experiment – review

Lyndsey Turner’s revival of Caryl Churchill’s 2002 cloning drama, A Number, has opened at the Old Vic.

Lasting barely an hour, A Number is an impressive piece of theatre. Starring two internationally renowned actors – The Walking Dead’s Lennie James as the father, Salter, and I May Destroy You’s Paapa Essiedu as three of his sons – it considers the idea of cloning and how that might impact our sense of identity. During the show we are introduced to the original son, the ‘clone’ who Salter had created after becoming estranged from the original, and one of the unauthorised copies – one of “a number” of clones made in the lab, referring to the show’s title.

It’s a smart nature vs nurture thought experiment; we explore the dynamic between Salter and his different sons, as we watch outcomes of ethical dilemmas unfold in realtime in this near-future drama. We’re big fans of plays that explore philosophical dilemmas, ones that don’t exist at the present moment but could plausibly be questions we ask in the future. How would it feel to find out that you are not unique? If someone else was created using your exact DNA – what would make you ‘you’? Would a father who failed one son be able to learn lessons and succeed with an exact copy?

Underpinning proceedings is a surprising but genuine sense of humour – there’s a real chemistry between the actors which helps bring out some unexpectedly witty moments in the text. Scenes in this play almost have a sitcom feel to them – the effortlessness of the delivery is a joy to watch. Of course this is far from a comedy – it considers some complex ideas – but given that the subject matter could easily lend itself to quite a dark production, there’s a pleasing amount of tonal variety on show here.

We thoroughly enjoyed our evening with A Number. It’s certainly not a sit-back-and-relax piece of theatre – it’s one that challenges and provokes its audience – but it does so with a genuine sense of warmth and humour. It also contains two superb acting performances from both James and Essiedu. Well worth checking out.

GAY TIMES gives A Number – 4/5

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