The Phlebotomist

[alobear]

Friday night saw us at the Hampstead Theatre for an interesting new play about using blood tests to provide a social rating that would affect your ability to get a job, find a relationship and travel freely. It was high concept, but a chillingly credible extrapolation of what such a world might be like. There were only four main characters - Bea, the phlebotomist; her boyfriend, Aaron; her childhood friend, Char; and the porter at the hospital where she works. All four performances were excellent, and good use was made of minimal sets. Bea struggles with her own rated worth in relation to the others around her, the temptations of cheating the system to improve the lot of those with low ratings, and big questions about what is important, how we judge others and how much or little you might want to know about your possible future state.

It's a challenging watch on multiple levels, and well written, with lots of high emotions as well as thought-provoking themes.