Baby Baby

Two babies are born during the course of Vivian French's tale of teen pregnancies, but it's the relationship between the two young mothers that dominates this stage adaptation of her teen novel.

It is probably a good indicator of the play's authenticity that one frequently longs to give 15-year-olds April and Pinkie a good shake, but at times things shift into much deeper, more interesting territory and it is frustrating when the focus repeatedly swings back to the fact that April wants to be friends with Pinkie, but the feeling isn't mutual.

French wrote the novel after meeting a diverse group of young mothers and hearing how they were treated by strangers – a telling line reveals the lengths to which some go to express their disapproval upon seeing a young girl with a pram.

To stress the fact that gymslip mums are no homogeneous group, French has created two contrasting characters. April (Hannah Donaldson) is a peripheral member of the in-crowd, whose efforts at grown-up sophistication include frequenting coffee shops and wearing just a little too much make-up, and whose so-called mates view the likes of Pinkie (Ashley Smith) and her fellow goths as easy targets.

The problem here is that while April's vulnerability is exposed, and nicely conveyed by Donaldson, the audience sees Pinkie largely through the other girl's eyes – as someone brimming with self-assurance and independent spirit. In truth the velvet and fishnet ensemble of the self-consciously alternative teen is as much a uniform as the skinny jeans and snow-white trainers of April's gang.

Although her mask of confidence is never seen to slip, Pinkie's character does transform as a result of her baby's premature birth. Smith has her work cut out, however, to convey her character's confounded bewilderment and an episode of post-natal depression dealt with so swiftly that it feels incidental.

For a play about such an emotive subject, performed by two accomplished actresses, Baby Baby somehow amounts to less than the sum of its parts. While French is to be commended for trying to show a different side to teen pregnancy, it may be that the tears, hormones and cliches of soap opera portrayals get closer to the heart of the matter.