Babyteeth (KXT on Broadway) ★★★

Written by Rita Kalnejais. White Box Theatre in association with bAKEHOUSE Theatre. KXT on Broadway. 18 Jul – 2 Aug, 2025.

Rita Kalnejais’s teen cancer weepie, Babyteeth, starts with a kick to the guts before inserting layers of emotional complexity. It’s a brutal play that brings out the best in some younger performers.

Fourteen-year-old Milla (Rachel Thomas) is struggling. Beyond the usual trials of being a teenage girl on the cusp of young adulthood, she has cancer and isn’t sure how much longer she wants to keep fighting. Her psychologist father Henry (James Smithers) and her mother Anna (Jane Angharad) are on the verge of their own breakdowns, dealing with the pressure and growing acceptance of their daughter’s fatal condition. So, when she comes home with a 23-year-old drug dealer named Moses (Campbell Parsons), who she is clearly infatuated with, they try to take it in their stride. Grief takes many different and unexpected forms.

Thomas is fantastic as the teenage Milla. Bringing the same innocent charm she showed in These Youths Be Protesting earlier this year, she now uses it for pathos to great effect. Similarly, Parsons’s Moses never seems overly exploitative in his relationship with the younger girl—despite making decisions that are clearly illegal and unethical. There is a tortured soulfulness to him, even as he proves to be an opportunist. This duo forms the absolute highlight of Babyteeth.

Under Kim Hardwick’s direction, the scenes carry a mournful energy that wallows in anticipatory grief. The production doesn’t always navigate the different emotional tones, especially the sharp shifts into comedy with over-the-top side characters like Esha Jessy’s pregnant neighbour Toby or Philip D’Ambrosio’s violin teacher Gidon. The stark design and neutral colour palette sit across the stage like an icy depression, only given reprieve by Topaz Marlay-Cole’s subtle lighting shifts.

If you’re familiar with the excellent 2019 film adaptation, you’ll know how the story unfolds. This is not a feel-good night at the theatre, but this production highlights some exciting onstage talent.