Avalanche: A Love Story

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25 April 2019 · Follow on Stagedoor

“Part of the Barbican’s Fertility Fest which explores fertility and infertility through performance and discussions. This show is based on Julia Leigh’s memoir about trying to conceive a child and stars Maxine Peake as a woman who suddenly discovers a deep need to have a child. The original memoir was praised for its courage and emotional honesty and raises questions about selflessness, selfishness and the urge to be a mother even when the odds are stacked against you.”

Overview

When a woman rekindles an early love in her late 30's her whole life changes. Deeply in love, and full of shared commitment, she and her new husband want a child together. So begins her courageous journey of medical processes and personal rituals; her raw emotions oscillate between high hopes and deep doubt.

Praised for her ‘capacity for emotional directness and a fierce, uncensored honesty’ (Guardian), Maxine Peake (Hamlet, Funny Cow, Happy Days) is a prolific theatre, television, film actor and playwright.

Inspired by Julia Leigh’s true story, this new play is a powerful, riveting and honest exploration of who we are and how we love, directed by Anne-Louise Sarks.

Age Recommendation: 14+

Critic reviews

Highlighting the importance of an open discourse around reproductive health. It is able to resonate not only with women, but with audience members of all genders. A real must-see

⋅ The Upcoming

By far the most exciting and moving thing is watching Peake watching an imaginary phone with tears in her eyes, trying to force it to ring

⋅ WhatsOnStage

Maxine Peake is captivating in a play about IVF and the quest to conceive

⋅ The Stage

Perhaps the show will offer some solace to those having been through similar experiences, but Leigh’s story is not adapted deftly enough to draw more than pity

⋅ The Guardian

Part of Fertility Fest 2019, the play charts one woman’s struggles with IVF treatments, from hope to desolation and beyond

⋅ Financial Times

Maxine Peake shows honesty and compassion in this poignant IVF drama

⋅ The Telegraph

Maxine Peake stars in this harrowing adaptation of Julia Leigh's IVF memoir

⋅ Time Out

Maxine Peake excels in sobering tale about a woman's fertility journey

⋅ Evening Standard

Avalanche: A Love Story captures the dazzling pain of an unfulfilled desire for a child, and the stifling sense of unfairness that comes with it

⋅ A Younger Theatre

There wasn’t a second when I wasn’t entirely riveted, or with her in every sentence, every heart-beat