By Michele Markarian
“The Children”. By Lucy Kirkwood. Directed by Bryn Boice. Presented by SpeakEasy Stage Company, Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA, 537 Tremont Street, Boston through March 28.
“We heard you died,” says Hazel (Paula Plum) to her visitor, Rose (Karen MacDonald), ostensibly an old friend and colleague who has dropped unexpectedly by the temporary housing that Hazel shares with her husband, Robin (Tyrees Allen). It has been thirty-eight years since they’d last seen her on their small British island, and Hazel’s welcome seems less than congenial (she has also, by accident, given Rose a bloody nose). Turns out that the women have shared more than just their former workplace, a nuclear power plant. A tsunami has rendered an accident at the plant, and the residents around it are instructed to live outside of a contaminated exclusion zone. Hazel and Robin have had to abandon their farm and their cattle, much to Hazel’s devastation. Rose, who never married and has lived in America, is seemingly less tethered. Hazel is circumspect about their old friend’s visit with good, intuitive reason – Rose has come back with a request with far-reaching responsibilities and consequences.
“The Children” is a provocative, unsettling, layered and often funny play that tackles large themes in an ingenious and subtle way – it’s as if Kirkwood has snuck her points in while you were watching the characters play out their intricate dances with one another. “The Children” is billed as an “eco-drama”, but it is much more than that. In our current zeitgeist, where political theater can be heavy-handed and concept-driven, one truly appreciates the artful impact of this powerful, character-driven piece that asks more questions than it answers. Hazel, Rose and Robin are all clinging to their youth: Hazel is eating healthily and doing daily yoga in a way to achieve longevity, Robin is still playing the Lothario, despite having to take little blue pill, and Rose is playing out a version of her wild child lifestyle. Of the three, Rose is trying hardest to face reality. “For the world not to completely fall apart, we can’t have everything we want just because we want it,” she tells the others.
The relationships created by Kirkwood, Boice and the cast are as credible as it gets onstage. It’s one of those rare shows where you forget you’re watching actors. Plum is remarkable as Hazel, playing both control and vulnerability. Her hostility towards Rose is justified, even as she reveals grudging bouts of concern. MacDonald is captivating as the aging bad girl Rose, revealing a conscience through her devil-may-care demeanor. And Allen exudes charm and power as Robin, the man who manages to keep his women close with concurrent acts of love and cruelty. Sex, or the memory of it, even stronger than home and hearth, is still a powerful pull for all of them. At what point will they stop putting themselves first? Will they learn to want less? Will they accept responsibility for the world that they’ve created for their children, or will they continue to behave as children themselves?
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Cristina Todesco’s brilliant set, which demonstrates both the rusticity of the cottage and the situation taking place within the exclusion zone. The final minutes of the show are a powerful reminder of the fragility that we’ve created for ourselves as a species. As we exited the theater, I asked the friend who came with me what she thought one of the character’s choice would be regarding her future. Interestingly enough, we disagreed. But we had lots to talk about. You will, too. For tickets and information, go to: https://www.speakeasystage.com/
