Identities – a new comedy about womanhood, boobs and cancer, at Oxford’s BT Studio theatre this week, is “really funny and silly,” Hannah Harquart from Close To Home Productions, promises me.
Which might sound like an oxymoron, but when you consider that the main two characters are ‘left boob’ and ‘right boob’ and run a remit from birth to present day, including teenage gropes, sports bras, swimming and sex and you’ll realise you are definitely in for a laugh.
From bra fittings to breast cancer diagnosis, Lucy’s boobs tell her story in 60 minutes – the time it takes to perform a standard lumpectomy.
The comedy came about when Rae Bell (right boob) had a breast cancer scare during lockdown.
‘We wanted to offer up a place for women to feel seen and have a laugh’
Her mother suffered from breast cancer so Rae was understandably concerned, but when the 23 year-old looked into it there was very little support out there for young people.
Working hand in hand with Prevent Breast Cancer, she wrote Identities after talking to breast cancer sufferers and health care professionals, to ensure that the comedy is as accurate as possible, using humour to make it accessible.
So you can expect a merry old world of silliness, while tackling what the team saw as a previously ‘taboo’ subject. “We wanted to make sure we tackled the subject respectfully and realistically without shoving it down your throat – to offer up a place for women to feel seen and have a laugh,” Hannah Harquart from Close To Home Productions, tells me.
We don’t want to be telling people about cancer without being able to have a laugh and cracking a joke or two,” Hannah adds. “And besides, the funniest things are always sad, and the saddest things always funny so people have been really enjoying Identities while learning something new along the way.”
Identities is at Oxford’s BT Studio on Wednesday September 27 and Thursday September 28. Book here https://www.oxfordplayhouse.com/events/identities
