Entertainment · Books & Arts · 3 hrs ago
Pearl Mackie leads a solo play about abuse and the criminal justice system
Baby is a solo play about a woman whose life leads to prison and the forced removal of her daughter.
Written by Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti and produced by Clean Break, it follows Baby from childhood, when she cares for her mother, to adulthood.
She becomes involved with an older criminal, goes to prison and struggles to rebuild her life.
The play links her experience to gaps in support for people caught up in crime and drug dependency, who may cycle between probation and case workers.
Pearl Mackie plays Baby, and the review praises the care she brings to the role.
The reviewer says the play’s bright tone softens its darkest moments, leaving some of Baby’s ordeals less fully shown.
The production is presented as a compassionate portrait of a woman whose story may not be heard in court.
Pearl Mackie stars in Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti’s solo play Baby, about an abuse survivor caught in the criminal justice system.
The play follows Baby from childhood, when she cares for her mother, to prison and her struggle to get her life back on track.
Produced by Clean Break, the play examines how crime and drug dependency can leave people with little agency and cycling between probation officers and case workers.
The Guardian review describes the play as compassionate but says it skips over details of Baby’s most difficult experiences.
- Who
- Pearl Mackie plays Baby in a solo play written by Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti.
- What
- Baby follows an abuse survivor whose life leads to prison and the loss of her daughter. The play examines her struggle to recover.
- When
- The Guardian review was published on 14 October 2026.
- Where
- Not stated.
- Why
- The play explores the cycle of abuse, crime and drug dependency, and the criminal justice system’s effects on women.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Baby is top of her class while caring for her mother behind the scenes.
Baby unknowingly becomes involved with an older criminal and ends up in prison.
Baby struggles to get back on track, and her daughter is forcibly removed.
- Lead actor
- Pearl Mackie
- Playwright
- Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti
- Producer
- Clean Break
- Character
- Baby
- Review date
- 14 October 2026
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