Tomcat review – paternal love lends heart to a genetic dilemma

Southwark Playhouse, London
The tender bond between a girl and her carer illuminates the debate about the ethics of genetic screening in James Rushbrooke's intelligent debut

The annual Papatango new writing prize has unearthed some outstanding writers in recent years, such as Dawn King and Tom Morton-Smith. This year's winner, James Rushbrooke, shows similar promise with a first play that raises all kinds of ethical issues, relating to science and social care, in a manner reminiscent of Joe Penhall's Blue/Orange.

Rushbrooke posits a not-too-distant future in which mandatory screening has managed to eliminate most forms of genetic disorder. A few rogue cases still exist, however, and one such is 12-year-old Jess who, as the daughter of a murderously psychopathic mother, has been kept under close clinical observation since the age of three. As a test case, Jess is inevitably the cause of conflict among her supervisors. Caroline, a sympathetic psychologist who has kept Jess in ignorance of her background, sees her making progress that may ultimately lead to her release. But Charlie, a professional zealot, determines to keep Jess under permanent scrutiny and subject her to brain scans to detect signs of developing psychopathy.