This all-female cast often talk of their men, the ones who knocked them up or cast them out, and yet not much depends on them and no responsibility is placed at their feet. These are the stories of the young women, wrapped up in period costumes and with a great soundtrack. Much of the richness of the play comes from the music, as could be felt as the floor shook with foot-tappers. The girl-groups of the 1960s had about as much autonomy as the pregnant girls residing inside St. Saviours and yet, ironically, they are held up as beacons of freedom by Queenie and the others. This adds a layer of poignancy to the lyrics of the Ronnettes and Dixie Cups and they take on a new meaning as four girls wait to be proposed to, to give up their babies, to return to a ‘normal’ world without stigma. The play explores a clash of generations; from the shrill voice of Mary’s mother and the clipped RP of Matron- the Holy Cow - to the gleeful naivety of Dolores to the dawning understanding of Mary. The young must navigate and carve out their own paths into maturity, despite being hindered by the rules of society. Standing out from the group is Queenie, played by Julie McNicholls. Cynical and worldly, she takes the other girls by the scruff of the neck with tough love wrapped up in Northern vowels. As each pregnant girl develops we see each story is run through with a thread of sadness and the poignancy of having to give up their children for adoption. As youthful exuberance flickers out from their gloomy predicament there are moments of both tears and laughter. Even funny moments such as the girls trying to figure out just where a baby actually does come out from are marred with the realisation that 1960s sex-ed was lacking for most women. This is a play for all ages and one which runs through the emotional spectrum as it builds up the audience’s expectations only to dash them with revelations, twists and turns set to the soundtrack of the Phil Spector generation.