M (the man) does the math out loud. He calculates the carbon footprint of a single human life. He counts the flights, the plastic nappies, the energy consumption. He spirals: “Having a child is the single worst thing you can do for the planet.”
Macmillan doesn’t give us a villain or a hero. Both characters are right. And both are terrified. It is a 75-minute panic attack about modern morality. If you have ever lain awake at 3 AM wondering if your recycling bin is full enough or if you should have children, this play is your reflection. lungs by duncan macmillan
Macmillan uses a theatrical trick that is pure genius: . The play leaps forward in time—a pregnancy, a miscarriage, a birth, a breakup, a reunion, a tragedy—all in the span of a few sentences. You blink, and ten years have passed. You blink again, and they are old. M (the man) does the math out loud