IT IS a remarkable feat of theatre to evoke both laughter and tears without a single word being spoken on stage, yet Vamos Theatre excelled with this thought-provoking production.

Using full-face masks, mime, stunning retro fashions and innovative stage design, the all-too-familiar story emerged of an unmarried teenager in the 1960s being pushed into having her baby adopted because it was “the best thing” to do.

Highly evocative music such as Shout by Lulu, carefully selected props such as Woman magazine, and plastic condiment bottles created the atmosphere of the time in which youth culture was clearly distinct from parents and the "experts" who set the social standards of behaviour.

A rear screened area provided a bedroom area in which “groovy” orange wallpaper and a record player starkly contrasted with the austerity of the kitchen/ironing area occupied by her father.

This also allowed the order of service from young Mum Susan’s funeral to be projected as a backdrop for the poignant meeting between the adopted daughter she grieved for throughout her short life, and the now penitent father who insisted on this course of action.

Puppet-maker Russell Dean’s masks created cartoon caricatures – arguably as inhuman as the way in which unplanned pregnancy was viewed – while the skill of the performers’ movements successfully conveyed the whole spectrum of emotions even in the absence of facial expressions.

The shadow sex scene accompanied by humorously pertinent phrases from the 1966 World Cup commentary, the acquisition of a trendy bob at the hairdressers, and the excessively formal typing class provided light relief to counterbalance the devastating emotional consequences of the punitive social attitudes at play.

This was a skilled piece of theatre – a visual treat which sensitively tackled a tragedy of our time and left an impact long after the applause subsided.

Christina McIntyre