The title Guess How Much I Love You? is that of a well loved children’s book by Sam McBratney given in a new parents’ bundle from the maternity hospital.  The book is about a father and son hare expressing love for each other.  Luke Norris’s play opens with a couple, only referred to as HER (Rosie Sheehy) and HIM (Robery Aramayo) waiting in a hospital scanning room for the Ultrasound Technologist to return.  She left midway in their 20 week scan.  This is their first baby.

While she is away they play a game, lightly argue showing healthy banter with SHE standing up for herself against HIM.  As time goes on they start to speculate on where the health professional has gone and why she is so long away.  They discuss names for the baby and find reasons to disagree.  Between scenes there is darkness and discordant music. 

The news brought back is devastating for them.  The baby has a profound disability with likely care being needed 24/7, a short life expectation and with no prospect of living an independent life.  They are asked to make a decision on whether to progress with the pregnancy or to terminate it now. HE has been brought up a Catholic in Northern Ireland, SHE is from Wales. 

What they reflect on is how they have a choice, whereas years ago, no decision would have had to have been made until the baby was born.  It is the pain of the responsibility for this decision that hurts and those emotions are very close to the surface in Rosie Sheehy’s alarming and devastating performance, which had me close to tears.  Robert Aramayo is similarly showing acting depth and realism as he tries to support his partner.