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A Number is a 2002 play by British playwright Caryl Churchill. The story, set in the near future, is structured around the conflict between a father (Salter) and his sons (Bernard 1, Bernard 2, and Michael Black) – two of whom are clones of the first one. The play addresses the subject of human cloning and identity, especially nature versus nurture. Many critics over the years have lauded A Number, arguing Churchill created a work of significant intellectual depth with effective economy of style.
Scene 2: An angry Bernard 1 ("B1") visits Salter for the first time since his childhood. We learn that Salter sent him to a clinical home after the suicide of his mother had left them both in a constant state of fear and pain. B1 has learned about the clones, and is furious at his father for doing it, as well as for his neglectful and traumatic upbringing. Salter admits that the clones were meant to give him another chance at raising a child without repeating his many parental mistakes. B1 grows increasingly agitated and threatens to murder B2.
Scene 3: B2 speaks to Salter after having met B1 in the park. He has learned the truth about the situation, and now hates Salter for what he has done. B2 decides to leave the country for a while, both to get away from Salter and because he fears that B1 might try to kill him. Salter tries to convince him not to go, or at least to come back soon, but B2 refuses.
Scene 4: B1 tells Salter that when B2 left the country, B1 followed him and killed him. Salter, stricken with grief, demands to know the details, but B1 says little.
Scene 5: Salter is meeting with one of the other clones of his son, Michael Black. We learn that Bernard 1 has killed himself, and Salter is now planning to meet with the other clones. Michael, who never knew Salter, is a happily married maths teacher with three children. He is completely undisturbed that he is a clone, and tells Salter that he does not care. Salter finds this very unsettling. He demands to know more about him, something personal and unique, but Michael can only answer superficially and Salter is left unsatisfied.
The play was written during a time of public debate over the ethics of cloning. The cloning of Dolly the sheep, the creation of human embryos at Advanced Cell Technology, and the cloning of a kitten gave rise to controversy concerning possible human cloning.
Lighting was designed by Rick Fisher and Ian Dickinson was the sound designer. The play won the 2002 Evening Standard Award for Best Play. Evening Standard Awards Retrieved on 8 October 2009
The play was revived at The Nuffield Theatre (Southampton) in February 2014 with John Shrapnel and Lex Shrapnel to huge critical acclaim. It transferred to the Young Vic Theatre in June 2015. Zinnie Harris directed the play at the Royal Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh in April 2017.
The play was revived again at the Bridge Theatre, in February 2020, with Roger Allam and Colin Morgan, directed by Polly Findlay.
The play received a London revival in January 2022 at The Old Vic, with Lennie James and Paapa Essiedu, directed by Lyndsey Turner. The production received a Laurence Olivier Award nomination for Best Revival in the same year.
In a 2006 review of a later Churchill work, The Independent
After seeing a 2020 Bridge Theatre performance, Nick Curtis of Evening Standard argued: "If the background logistics are sketchy – who made the human copies, and why? – the relationships between Salter and his offspring, and their differing reactions to finding that they are not unique, are right on the money. ... It’s almost exactly an hour long and the ending is abrupt, but Churchill packs more ideas and feeling into that time than most dramatists manage at twice the length." Clive Davis of The Times, however, panned the play as "both too short and too long" after seeing the same performance. Matt Wolf lauded A Number as a "beautiful play", and wrote that it "works not least as a thriller or bit of forensic detection, as Churchill plants clues prompting a reevaluation of the narrative at every turn." Arjun Neil Alim of The Independent stated that "Churchill, a political playwright par excellence, tactfully references current events. ... Are 'Who are you?' and 'What are you made from?' the same question? Churchill’s answer comes in the form of a character who defines himself by his deeds and his loved ones, rather than the circumstances of his birth." Andrzej Lukowski of Time Out called the play a "masterpiece".
Steve Dinneen argued in City A.M. that the work "is remarkable in the way it so gracefully touches upon the great philosophical questions without ever feeling didactic. A Number is no cold thought experiment, but a quiet rumination on human nature". Dineen wrote that Salter's interludes "say as much as an hour’s worth of dialogue". Franco Milazzo of Londonist summarised the play as asking "what makes you you?" Arifa Akbar of The Guardian said that "Churchill’s linguistic tics – of interruptions and half-finished sentences – create a hyperreal effect and enable Salter’s obfuscation". Richard Pahl of Northwest Herald billed A Number as an "engaging meditation on human cloning, personal identity and the conflicting claims of nature and nurture". Pahl wrote that the work "offers intellectual and emotional depth, and illustrates the ways people rationalize bad behavior and unthinkingly objectify others, including their own flesh and blood. It asks important questions."
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