A HAMPSTEAD THEATRE PRODUCTION

GENESIS INC.

By JEMMA KENNEDY
Directed by LAURIE SANSOM

Running time: 2 HOURS 35 MINUTES INCLUDING A 20 MINUTE INTERVAL

£10 - £37 (See ticket information)

Cyclist are you? Good for the lungs, less so for the sperm. Try fast walking instead

Main Stage

22 Jun - 28 Jul 2018
£10 - £37

Box Office: 020 7722 9301

Details
Genesis Inc must close this Saturday – don’t miss this ‘smart and funny’ (Financial Times) new comedy within our fully air-conditioned auditorium!

 

'Harry Enfield is hilarious' WhatsOnStage
'Smart, funny, complex' Financial Times
'Jemma Kennedy has a gift for comedy' The Guardian
'I adore the ambition' The Times
'A theatrical and ambitious comedy' Independent


Serena and Jeff have one last chance: Genesis Incorporated, whose glowing testimonials and bespoke treatments surely justify a final roll of the dice. Meanwhile, Bridget has put her future literally on ice while she focuses on her high-flying career and on finding Mr Right.  And all Miles wants is a steady salary so he can buy a property in Zone 4 – oblivious to the fact that, in a different kind of currency, he’s actually the richest of them all…

Jemma Kennedy spins a blisteringly entertaining and multifaceted tale of the final frontier of 21st century capitalism: the privatisation of human reproduction. This richly imaginative, topical, and explosively funny new comedy takes a closer look at the lengths to which people will go to defy biology - and at the moral compass of an industry that trades on fear and hope.

Hampstead Theatre is proud to present Jemma Kennedy’s breakthrough play. Previous plays include Second Person Narrative (Tonic Theatre commission as part of the Play for Platform Series), The Gift (New Vic Theatre) and Don’t Feed the Animals (National Theatre Connections).

Laurie Sansom directs following his critically acclaimed historical trilogy The James Plays (National Theatre) and The Driver’s Seat (National Theatre of Scotland).  

Starring Double BAFTA winner Harry Enfield, Arthur Darvill, Oliver Alvin-Wilson, Ritu Arya, Kirsty Besterman, Laura Howard, Shobu Kapoor, Clare Perkins and Arthur Wilson.

Genesis Inc. is a work of fiction and any similarity to any real person or organisation is purely coincidental.

Reviews
  • WhatsOnStage

    'Nobody could accuse Jemma Kennedy of being under-ambitious: her imaginative, consistently entertaining tragicomedy is stuffed – over-stuffed possibly – with ideas. The title is the name of the upmarket fertility clinic where much of the play is set, and while the main theme of the piece is the struggle of starting a family when nature seems to be failing you and time is running out, Kennedy has many other things on her mind.

    What starts out as superior sitcom – Harry Enfield's hilariously out-of-touch fertility specialist offering jawdroppingly insensitive advice to a mixed race couple looking to conceive via IVF- becomes richer and darker as it progresses, gaining the propulsive compulsiveness of a soap opera, albeit an uncommonly funny one. Characters that initially appear to be little more than tropes (the ball-breaking business woman, the nerdy, under-achieving gay teacher, the working class wife trapped in an abusive relationship) move in unexpected but never implausible directions, and as an observer you may find your attitudes and allegiances switching.

    The piece covers a lot: the impossibility of buying a central London home unless you are mega-rich, the increasing isolation of childless single women, the way income differences can create schisms in long-standing friendships, the irony that for many women their peak fertility comes just as their career kicks in, greed versus humanity, the importance of community....it's all here and more. It's handled – for the most part – with considerable dexterity and an impressive command of theatrical storytelling, aided by Laurie Sansom's bold but textured staging, and some excellent performances.'

    To read the full review click here to visit WhatsOnStage online.

    Genesis Inc. review
    ,
Cast

Artistic team

writer

JEMMA KENNEDY

DIRECTOR

LAURIE SANSOM

DESIGNER

JESS CURTIS

LIGHTING

OLIVER FENWICK

COMPOSITION

ZARA NUNN

SOUND

GARETH FRY

VIDEO

IAN WILLIAM GALLOWAY

MOVEMENT

GEORGINA LAMB

CASTING

SUZANNE CROWLEY AND GILLY POOLE

Cast

News

A CUP OF TEA WITH...GENESIS INC.'S ARTHUR DARVILL

Posted on 24 July 2018

We caught up with Arthur Darvill to talk pre-show rituals, wayward moustaches and crucial life advice.

GENESIS INC: ★★★★ FROM WHATSONSTAGE

Posted on 29 June 2018

Alun Hood awards Jemma Kennedy's Genesis Inc. four stars

GENESIS INC: PRESS NIGHT PHOTOS

Posted on 29 June 2018

Photos taken by Dan Wooller

JEMMA KENNEDY ON IVF FOR THE TELEGRAPH

Posted on 29 June 2018

Genesis Inc writer Jemma Kennedy on her experiences with private fertility clinics

COMPETITION: WIN DINNER FOR TWO AND A PAIR OF TICKETS FOR GENESIS INC.

Posted on 10 May 2018

Coming to see Describe the Night? You can be in with a chance to win tickets to our next Main Stage show

GENESIS INC.: FULL CAST ANNOUNCED

Posted on 9 May 2018

Full casting announced for Jemma Kennedy's blisteringly entertaining new play

GENESIS INC. WRITER JEMMA KENNEDY AT FERTILITY FEST 2018

Posted on 9 May 2018

Jemma Kennedy will be appearing at the Fertility Fest on Friday 11 May

HAMPSTEAD THEATRE PARTNERS WITH TWO LEADING FERTILITY CHARITIES FOR GENESIS INC.

Posted on 9 May 2018

Hampstead Theatre will partner with Fertility Network UK and Donor Conception Network throughout the run of Genesis Inc.

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR EDWARD HALL ANNOUNCES HAMPSTEAD THEATRE'S SPRING/SUMMER SEASON

Posted on 21 February 2018

Rajiv Joseph's Describe the Night, Jemma Kennedy's Genesis Inc. and Fiona Doyle's The Strange Death of John Doe announced as Hampstead's 2018 spring/summer season

THE GUARDIAN INTERVIEWS GENESIS INC. WRITER JEMMA KENNEDY

Posted on 21 February 2018

Jemma Kennedy speaks to The Guardian's Mark Brown about the inspiration for her play Genesis Inc.

Tickets

Previews, Mondays and matinees 
Full price: £30/£27/£18
Under 30s/Students: £15/£10
Seniors (matinees only): £22/£20
Groups: For every 9 tickets get the 10th free
Access: £16

Tuesday – Saturday evenings 
Full price: £37/£32/£25
Under 30s/Students: £15/£10
Groups: For every 9 tickets get the 10th free
Access: £16

Video and Image Gallery

Oliver Alvin-Wilson and Ritu Arya Oliver Alvin-Wilson and Ritu Arya
Harry Enfield Harry Enfield
Laura Howard and Arthur Darvill Laura Howard and Arthur Darvill
Laura Howard and Arthur Darvill Laura Howard and Arthur Darvill
Arthur Wilson and Arthur Darvill Arthur Wilson and Arthur Darvill
Arthur Darvill Arthur Darvill
Ritu Arya and Arthur Wilson Ritu Arya and Arthur Wilson
Kirsty Besterman, Harry Enfield and Oliver Alvin-Wilson Kirsty Besterman, Harry Enfield and Oliver Alvin-Wilson
Clare Perkins and Arthur Wilson Clare Perkins and Arthur Wilson
Company of Genesis Inc. Company of Genesis Inc.
Company of Genesis Inc. Company of Genesis Inc.
Laura Howard, Harry Enfield, Clare Perkins and Oliver Alvin-Wilson Laura Howard, Harry Enfield, Clare Perkins and Oliver Alvin-Wilson

KEEPING YOU SAFE AT HAMPSTEAD

1 Social Distanced 1

RESPECT PERSONAL SPACE

2 MASKS REQUIRED 1

FACE MASKS ENCOURAGED

4 STATE OF THE ART VENTILATION 1

STATE OF THE ART VENTILATION

5 ENHANCED CLEANING 1

ENHANCED CLEANING

7 CONTACTLESS TICKETS 1

CONTACTLESS TICKETS

8 HAND SANITIZING STATIONS 2

HAND SANITISING STATIONS

9 CASHLESS PAYMENT 1

CASHLESS PAYMENT