By Julie-Anne Whitney
‘The Children’ Written by Lucy Kirkwood; Directed by Bryn Boice; Scenic Design by Cristina Todesco; Costume Design by Rachel Padula-Shufelt; Lighting Design by Jeff Adelberg; Sound Design by David Remedios; Stage managed by Rachel Sturm. Produced by SpeakEasy Stage Company at the BCA Calderwood Pavilion through March 28, 2020.
Inspired by the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident in Eastern Japan – started by an earthquake which caused a tsunami that led to the death of 19,000 people – Lucy Kirkwood’s Tony-nominated play The Children is a blistering commentary on the global environmental devastation caused by human progress and development.
Hazel (Paula Plum) and her husband, Robin (Tyrees Allen), are nuclear physicists who have relocated to a dilapidated cottage just outside the exclusion zone of the local nuclear power plant. The recent “disaster” at the plant forced them to abandon their family home and into early retirement. When their former colleague, Rose (Karen MacDonald), shows up unannounced, the lifeless cottage is suddenly filled with tension, jealousy, and intrigue.
Once a trio of close friends, they now lead very different lives, having spent nearly 40 years apart. Hazel and Robin have raised children together, while Rose has remained single. Rose spent time traveling, teaching, and having affairs, while Hazel and Robin stayed in Britain doing the same jobs they’ve always done. In the wake of the plant meltdown (which they feel partially responsible for), the three scientists are coping in their own ways: Hazel is more health-conscious, less wasteful, and meticulous about food safety; Robin has become reckless, distant, and depressed; and Rose is driven by a hidden altruistic agenda that could change their lives forever.
MacDonald is marvelous as Rose; she is flirty and playful, but also steely and tough – you won’t want to take your eyes off of her. Plum brings tenderness and quiet strength to the role of Hazel who wrestles with her pragmatic nature and her new unquenchable fear of the future. Allen was a bit clumsy with his lines (MacDonald covered for him more than once) but has an undeniable charisma that made him a good fit for the role of Robin, a man caught between two very different women.
Cristina Todesco’s set design of a decaying cottage by the sea is deceptively simple. The slightly slanted tile floor suggests a world that is off balance with a foundation that is literally cracking beneath it. The modest kitchen fulfills only the most basic needs: a few mismatched chairs, an old table, a small sink, a few dirty cabinets, a bowl of fruit, a bread box, some bottled water, etc. The space looks both lived in and neglected – a metaphor, perhaps, for the current state of the world.
The Children asks: What are we willing to give up to help others in need? What is our responsibility to future generations? How do we live our lives, do our work, raise our families, and take care of the planet at the same? How do we – as Rose puts it – “learn to live with less”?
For tickets and information, go to: For tickets and information, go to: https://www.speakeasystage.com/
