In this futuristic drama, two married scientists who once worked on a nuclear reactor are hiding out in a house in the country after the nearby reactor has imploded. The risk of radioactivity hangs over their lives as they attempt to carry on as normal. Then a visitor, a former colleague and friend, turns up with a shocking proposal. They may be safe, but the danger they think they are hiding from is an illusion and those who created this danger should help to disentangle it. It isn’t fair for the young people, the children, to have to risk their lives for the sins of their elders. It's a brilliant premise but, to my chagrin, the question of the play is never really answered.
Director Simon Levy has laid
the question out well, stating “What I love about the play, is that it
tackles these enormously important contemporary issues about our responsibility
to the planet, to each other, to future generations, and grounds them in funny,
complex, identifiable characters grappling with a moral dilemma….” To add impact
to the theme, there is a discussion of these issues after each performance.
Lily Knight and Ron Bottitta
are superb as the couple determined to continue in their lives as if danger is
an illusion. Elizabeth Elias Huffman has the more difficult task of challenging
their reality while her own life is in chaos. No stranger to controversy, playwright
Lucy Kirkwood is writer in residence at Clean Break a British theatre company
that performs the hidden stories of women in prison.
Produced by Stephen Sachs and
James Bennett, with executive producer Karen Kondazian. At The Fountain
Theatre, 5060 Fountain Ave, LA. Tkts: (323) 663-1525 or www.info@fountaintheatre.com
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