the urmetazoan
Fans of Project Hail Mary will love this one, and it's the exact reason I chose to watch it; a science based story-line that makes you question your sense of duty to the world and your fellow humans. The slow burn of information and a sense of hurtling towards an inevitable ending through ethereal, moving scene changes between each dynamic scenes makes every twist devastating and in a world where we are being increasingly forced to reckon with our behaviour as a human race this play is incredibly pertinent.
It was amazing to read in the (free rare to see that these days) programme that this play is Alex Rugman's debut as there is almost nothing to fault. The dialogue in the opening few scenes is slightly stilted, beyond the awkwardness of two sisters interacting for the first time in seven years, but perhaps this comes down to a directing choice. There is an excellent understanding of how humans actually talk to each other which is a very hard thing to replicate on paper, and even harder to do when you are thinking about doing it as an actor. Although being a relatively long show without an interval, the pacing is excellent and it is hard to see where a twenty-minute break would fit as we hurtle towards the inevitable. Unlike 'Arcadia' by Tom Stoppard, recently criticised for its lengthy intellectual monologues, Rugman makes the science accessible, and there is a much clearer link as to why trying to solve this scientific problem is so vital to human life, or even just the humans in the play. There is no question as to why this play is so pertinent, and could be for a very long time, which is very impressive to see from a first-time writer.
Dorothea Myer-Bennett and Meghan Treadway's performances as sisters Alice and Abigail are perfection. Regardless of your gender or your siblings', you recognise this relationship and despite their initial awkwardness there is no doubt of their connection and how they know each other so well, but why there is a barrier between them. It is painful to watch Alice's slow realisation that she in fact doesn't want to start new life on Mars and leave those she loves through awful panic attacks and failed attempts to reach out to those around her, and Abigail's increased reckless behaviour as she desperately fights for her sister to return to her. The realness of the characters in media that approaches scientific questions and dilemmas in this way is what will make them so devastating. You must care about the people you are watching in order to see them within yourself and understand what question this piece of media is telling you to ask yourself.
I'm so glad I took a chance on this performance. This play is clever, funny, painful and devastating, with strong performances from every actor and a masterful script. The set design is incredibly smart, and coupled with the brilliant sound design we are given a really good sense of the world beyond Alice and Abigail, the world that Alice feels so strongly she must save. Ironically, or perhaps perfectly, this is the kind of theatre that gives me the impetous to do what I can to help save the world.
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