Two retired nuclear scientists Hazel and Robin lead a quiet domestic life in a rustic cabin – until a unexpected friend from the past named Rose shows up at their door. The circumstances of Rose’s arrival are unclear at first – Robin is welcoming, Hazel seems suspicious of her – but they reminiscence about nearly 40 years ago before the accident.
In Next Act Theatre’s The Children, the eastern coast of England is dealing with an apocalypse. Details are shrouded at first but teased out from casual conversation – talk of an earthquake, a tsunami, and a meltdown at the nuclear plant they once built. Turns out, the cabin (cozily and intuitively designed by Jeffery D. Kmiec) is a temporary shelter until Hazel and Robin can return to their contaminated family farm.
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The slow reveal is a good way to make exposition enticing rather than tedious, but it also points to the show’s key strength of making small work out of big ideas.
The Children poses hefty questions about aging, ecological disaster and social responsibility. It’s easy to imagine these topics weighing down a clumsy script or cast. But playwright Lucy Kirkwood filters these abstract ideas through intense interpersonal drama between its three characters. And under the direction of Marie Kohler, the cast does an excellent job of bringing that tension to a boil over the show’s hour and 45 minutes with no intermission.
Hazel (Mary MacDonald Kerr) is played with nervous energy. In her late 60s, she isn’t at the end of her life but the start of a new chapter. She practices yoga, eats healthily. “If you’re not going to grow, don’t live,” she repeats. Rose (Shariba Rivers) is less polished, more spontaneous. The distance between them is clear, even as they try to bridge it. Robin’s (Brian Mani) boisterousness doesn’t seem to help – it soon becomes clear to the audience that he and Rose have been having a years-long affair.
Each of the characters want something more from their life but are haunted by their past mistakes. Robin is resigned. Hazel feels like they’ve sacrificed enough. Rose feels like they haven’t sacrificed enough – and that’s the crux of why she came.
The Children was written in 2016, inspired by the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident. But in the years since, the subject matter has taken a sharper resonance. The way Hazel and Robin stay confined to their cabin feels eerily reminiscent of the stay-at-home days of the pandemic. And the intergenerational conflict that the play’s title evokes continues to come up in discourse about climate change.
There are no scene or set changes, meaning no breaks. With this in mind, the simple lighting and sound design were spot-on. The veteran cast packed depth and emotion in every line and expression. And a small dance scene – choreographed by Maria Gillespie – was tighter and more fun than expected. Even when things look grim, there’s time for small joys.
The Children runs at Next Act Theatre through March 9.
