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A Minor Theft

 
Olivia Thompson Review by Olivia Thompson 4 Published: 15 Aug 2025 ZOO Playground Show Dates: 1 Aug 2025-16 Aug 2025

A Minor Theft follows the story of Sophie (Beth Mullen, as both writer and performer), a young woman who briefly kidnaps a baby from the local town centre. Although the concept could easily veer into the horrifying, Mullen’s approach is lighter in tone. Sophie, we quickly learn, has no ill intent towards the child; instead, she’s driven by irritation at what she sees as poor parenting by the ‘neglectful’ mother, who seems more interested in chain-smoking than caring for the infant, which, despite being only six to nine months old, already has a broken arm. The situation, though morally dubious, is framed as an impulsive act rooted in a distorted sense of care.

A sharp, succinct, and affecting play about motherhood, denial, and grief

In this stripped-back one-woman show, Sophie tries her best to care for the baby, buying her warmer clothes and making sure she’s comfortable. Mullen’s script is well-crafted and sincere, balancing moments of humour with a gradually unfolding emotional undercurrent. We come to understand Sophie’s history and motivations over time, with the narrative revealing just enough at each step to keep us engaged without cheap twists. As a performer, Mullen is charismatic, emotionally agile, and at times electric. With Baby Clementine represented by either a pushchair or a raincoat, she draws the audience fully into the relationship between woman and child.

Sophie’s monologues are often comedic, her dry observations and wry delivery masking a far more morose interior world. The writing smartly uses Sophie’s growing rage toward the child’s mother to build tension and guide us toward the final reveal. Mullen shows admirable control in letting the emotional weight land when it matters. Ultimately, A Minor Theft is a sharp, succinct, and affecting play about motherhood, denial, and grief.

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The Blurb:

'I think pregnant woman are ugly. Well, not ugly, that sounds bad.' Sophie's stolen a baby. She doesn't even want a baby... but she knows that this baby deserves a good life and a good mother that doesn't deep throat fags and voddy-cokes. A Minor Theft is a comedy and a love letter to all those grieving deaths so painful they upend our worlds. The show is an exploration of infant death, working class on working class judgement and the strange things that grief makes us do.