Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Annie Baker's new play uses dark humour to discuss pain

Infinite Life has transferred with its entire American cast from the Linda Gross theater in New York to the Dorfman Theatre in London

Annie Baker's new play uses dark humour to discuss pain

IN INFINITE LIFE, a new play by Annie Baker, five American women find themselves reclining next to each other on chaise lounges at a fasting clinic two hours north of San Francisco. What they have in common is pain.

But how do you describe pain? Patients will often try hard when a doctor asks them: “On a scale of one to 10, how much pain are you in?”


Infinite Life, a co-production between the Atlantic Theater Company in the US and the National, has transferred with its entire American cast from the Linda Gross theater in New York to the Dorfman Theatre in London.

The five women thrown together are Sofi (Christina Kirk), 47, who comes from Los Angeles; Eileen (Marylouise Burke), who is in her 70s and from Wichita, Kansas; Elaine (Brenda Pressley), in her 60s and lives in Dublin, New Hampshire; Ginnie (Kristine Nielsen), in her 60s from Rio Vista, California; and Yvette (Mia Katigbak), who is in her 60s or 70s from Midland, Michigan.

In the mix is thrown a man, Nelson, in his 40s, from San Francisco.

Sofi’s account of what she is going through is the most searing: “Whenever I pee it’s like I’m peeing razors. And my bladder is covered in these ulcers and there’s always blood in my urine.”

Sometimes there are long, painful pauses between snatches of conversation.

Ginnie is knowledgeable about sphincters: “There’s your anal sphincter, but there’s also your cardiac sphincter and your pyloric sphincter. That’s why carbonation makes you feel good. It activates your pyloric sphincter.”

INSET Pete Simpson Nelson in Infinite Life at the National Theatre c Marc Brenner 1068 Pete Simpson as Nelson

She adds: “I have autoimmune thyroid stuff, but mostly I’m here for my vertigo.” I did wonder what the exchanges would be like if the American women had been replaced by five British Asian women. Perhaps the play could be transposed to Wembley.

Under the direction of James Macdonald, there is dark humour even in the discussion of pain.

When Sofi says, “There’s something wrong with my bladder,” it is the trigger for Yvette to launch a long monologue: “I had my bladder removed.”

She tells the story of her bladder: “…because I think when they did the C-section they nicked my bladder or something. Suddenly I’m peeing every 15, every 20 minutes. I remember trying to drive to the grocery store with my children strapped in the back seat – this is a 10-minute drive – and having to pull over by the side of the road and pee in the bushes.

“And then I wean my daughter and my hormones change again and all my lupus symptoms come back! So I have two little kids and joint pain and night sweats and a rash on my face the shape of a butterfly and a bladder the size of a pea and I’m starting to realize that my husband is useless to me.

“So they do this thing called – what was it called – did they do this to you? They fill your bladder up with lidocaine and they distend it ...”

She continues the tale later: “OK. Long story short. Long story very short. They take my bladder out and I get a bodywide fungal infection from all the antibiotics I’ve been on and the fungus gets into my lungs and it’s resistant to all the normal antifungals, it’s resistant to clotrimazole and econazole and fluconazole and ketoconazole and itraconazole and voriconazole and they have to give me a life-threatening last resort antifungal that’s not a zole and I’m in the hospital hooked up to an IV drip for two weeks. And then things get better and I can finally go back to work, but then one day I’m sitting at my desk, I’m looking at the computer, and this grey shade goes down over my left eye. I mean I watch it go down. Like the end of a movie or something. And, what do you know, I’ve gone blind in my left eye. No explanation. And then at some point I realized my lunulae had disappeared. Do you know what those are?”

INSET Christina Kirk Sofi in Infinite Life at the National Theatre c Marc Brenner 1052 Christina Kirk (Sofi) in the play

When Sofi shakes her head, Yvette explains: “The half moons at the bottom of your fingernails. My lunulae had disappeared. And then my arthritis came back. And the brain fog. And the difficulty swallowing. And the scleroderma. And the lichenplanus. And the spondylosis. And the labyrinthitis. And the polymyositis. And the pericarditis. Then I got an MRI when I turned 55 and I’ll never forget the doctor walking in and saying, ‘well, Yvette, it turns out in addition to all your other problems, you have three herniated discs, multiple spurs, and osteoporosis.’ So I had to accept it. I had to accept being in pain all the time. And then two years later I got diagnosed with breast cancer. And this is when the miracle happens. They want me to do chemo, but then I hear about this water-fasting clinic in California!”

Sofi is “head of the protein strategy team at a meal kit delivery service”, while Nelson is in “fintech”. She is turned on when she asks to see pictures of Nelson’s colon on his phone and he agrees: “It’s called primary signet-ring cell carcinoma with peritoneal dissemination. I’ve been clear for two years, but I just went in three weeks ago and it’s back. They want to do radiation again.”

Nelson, who has an open marriage, suggests he gives his wife a ring first – “yes that’s what we do” – before soliciting Sofi: “Why don’t I call my wife and give her a heads-up, then we can go to my room for a little while and see what happens.”

Sofi says she is sorely tempted, but has a flight to catch.

This sexually explicit play isn’t exactly Christmas fare with the children, but it has its moments.

Infinite Life is at the Dorfman Theatre at the National until January 13, 2024.

More For You

Apollo-BCCI

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said the new contract with Apollo Tyres runs until March 2028. (Photo: BCCI)

Apollo Tyres replaces Dream11 as Team India’s lead sponsor until 2028

INDIAN cricket has signed Apollo Tyres as its new lead sponsor after fantasy sports platform Dream11 ended its contract following a government ban on online gambling.

The men's team travelled to the United Arab Emirates for the ongoing Asia Cup without a sponsor on their shirts after Dream11 exited the deal, which was worth about $44 million and was set to run until 2026.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sydney Sweeney

Filming is tentatively planned for early 2026

Getty Images

Sydney Sweeney offered £45m to star in big-budget Bollywood film

Highlights:

  • Sydney Sweeney reportedly offered £45m for a leading role in a major Bollywood film
  • The package includes £35m in fees and £10M in sponsorship deals
  • Filming is tentatively planned for early 2026 across New York, Paris, London, and Dubai
  • The project could make Sweeney one of the highest-paid Hollywood stars to join Indian cinema

A record-breaking offer

Hollywood actor Sydney Sweeney has reportedly been approached with a staggering £45M deal to star in one of the most expensive Bollywood films ever produced.

The 28-year-old Euphoria and The White Lotus star is said to have been offered £35m in fees plus an additional £10m through sponsorship agreements.

Keep ReadingShow less
Toshi.bet: Revolutionizing Crypto Gaming with High Rewards and Innovative Gameplay

Toshi.bet: Revolutionizing Crypto Gaming with High Rewards and Innovative Gameplay

Introduction

In the rapidly evolving world of crypto casinos, one platform is standing out for its innovative gameplay, unmatched rewards, and community-driven growth — Toshi.bet. Recognized by CoinMarketCap as a pioneer in crypto gaming, Toshi.bet is transforming how players interact with digital assets while gaming.

Why Toshi.bet Is Leading the Crypto Casino Industry

1. Best Rewards in Crypto Gaming

Keep ReadingShow less
China Nvidia chip ban

Nvidia boss Jensen Huang has said he is “disappointed” following reports

iStock

China reportedly bans Nvidia chip sales as CEO expresses disappointment

Highlights:

  • China’s Cyberspace Administration has reportedly ordered tech firms to stop using Nvidia’s AI chips
  • Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says he is “disappointed” but will remain “patient”
  • Huang is visiting the UK alongside other tech leaders during Donald Trump’s state visit
  • Nvidia became the world’s first $4tn company earlier in 2025 amid the AI boom

Huang responds to reported China directive

Nvidia boss Jensen Huang has said he is “disappointed” following reports that China has told its leading technology firms to halt purchases of the company’s artificial intelligence chips.

Speaking to reporters in the UK, Huang added that he would remain “patient” in light of the reported order from China’s internet regulator, the Cyberspace Administration. “There are a lot of places we can’t go to, and that’s fine,” he said.

Keep ReadingShow less
Tagenarine Chanderpaul,

Tagenarine Chanderpaul. (Photo by PAT HOELSCHER/AFP via Getty Images)

Chanderpaul, Athanaze return as West Indies name squad for India tour

BATSMEN Tagenarine Chanderpaul and Alick Athanaze were recalled to the West Indies ranks when they were named in the squad to tour India on Tuesday (16) while left-arm spinner Khary Pierre is included for the first time.

The two-Test series, with matches in Ahmedabad and Delhi, marks the West Indies' first tour to India since 2018 and forms part of the World Test Championship.

Keep ReadingShow less