ODDS ARE *****

“What are the chances?” – a phrase usually bandied around carelessly and thoughtlessly. But, just occasionally, someone will take it upon themselves to dig a little deeper into probabilities. Enter Smita Russell, with her production ODDS ARE.

Russell is seated at a table, with a clutch of notes and a book; we immediately have the sense of a woman searching for answers.

She describes how she has always been drawn to science, or in her words “nerdy” – indeed, her future husband’s scientific aptitude provokes a deep-rooted attraction to him. She becomes intrigued at the improbability of stumbling upon Anne Hathaway three times in the space of 24 hours.

Hathaway is playing Odysseus’ wife in Chrisopher Nolan’s forthcoming film, and so, segueing neatly, Russell breaks into a dissection of some absurdities of Greek mythology, especially the idea that the male mind makes a better uterus than the uterus itself. She notes wryly that the Greek language gifted us the word “misogyny”.

She and her husband manage to have a child, although the birth proves to be traumatic. The universe managed to add irony; their release from hospital coincides with the riots following the murder of George Floyd, necessitating a 10km walk home.

It is here that the production reaches its emotional epicentre. Russell reveals their struggles to conceive and that she has experienced seven losses. She suffers from chorionic haematoma, as does her friend, who, despite this, successfully carries her pregnancy to term. Russell is less fortunate. Two losses occur on exactly the same date, New Year’s Eve – what are the chances?

For genetic context, her grandmothers gave birth to thirteen children, losing just one.

Despite living in New York, home to some of the best healthcare on the planet, the series of losses seem to confound medical science, simply being labelled ‘bad luck’. For someone so invested in the pursuit of science, this assessment will simply not stand for Russell. She embarks upon her quest for empirical answers, even contacting – and subsequently, comically, ghosting – the renowned astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. Can she really just be a statistical outlier?

ODDS ARE might sound like a tough watch, but the hour sweeps by, as Russell holds forth. She delivers a spellbinding performance, combining wit, humour and storytelling, with stillness, poise and dignity. It is utterly compelling, one of the most truthful and moving performances that you could wish to witness. The storytelling process, starting out as a cathartic device, has now transformed into a simply excellent solo show. It is to be hoped that this has helped her to work through the grief and losses.

She recounts how Tsutomu Yamaguchi survived both atomic blasts at the end of World War II, living to the ripe old age of 93. Sometimes, then, perhaps it really is just down to luck.

.

If you have the opportunity, catch ODDS ARE. It is an unforgettable hour of theatre.