What I liked
I loved the way the play is presented, with scenes from two girls’ homes and the other scenes with a counselor in the safe haven for pregnant girls. I learned things I hadn’t considered, such as the fact that this home, at least, is privately funded. There are allusions, but not in a heavy-handed way, to the fact that the private donors supporting this institution not provide any financial or other resources for the girls once their babies are born, nor are there governmental resources.
What I didn't like
I hated the counselor, although that’s likely a feature, not a bug. I didn’t care if she is precluded by the terms of her employment from trying to help the girls once they leave the home; I needed to see some sort of acknowledgment or growth or something from her beyond her continued weak requests that everyone “be kind.”
My overall impression
This is a riveting show about impoverished teenage pregnancy, which as Whitmore shows, is a redundant phrase. We see multiple young pregnant girls who end up in a home for unwed mothers, 2026 version. I didn’t know such places existed much past the 1960s. It is thought provoking, horrifying, infuriating and all too human. We are rooting for all of the young women, and yet we know little good waits for them after their babies are born.
