Reviewed by Judy Richter
Believing that Earth will soon be
struck by a comet that wipes out most life, a nerdy marine biologist places an
ad for a night of "sex to change the course of the world." A
journalism student responds, expecting hot sex when she goes to the young man's
lab, which also serves as his living quarters. So begins Peter Sinn
Nachtrieb's
"Boom,"
being given its Bay Area premiere by Marin Theatre Company.
The
young woman, Jo (Blythe Foster), is dismayed to learn that not only is Jules (Nicholas
Pelczar), gay
and a virgin, he also intends to keep her in his lab, which he has fortified
against the approaching cataclysm. He wants to impregnate her so that they can
repopulate the world once the dust literally settles. She doesn't think much of
that idea, especially since she doesn't like children and doesn't want to be a
mother. Nevertheless, the comet strikes as Jules had predicted from observing
the behavior of fish, and the two are stuck in a survivalist mode.
Although
Nachtrieb's idea is interesting, it's not developed as well as one would like.
Supposedly the 90-minute play, running without intermission, is a sex farce,
but it doesn't quite work because Jo's character isn't as well developed as
Jules'. Hence, the play loses some balance, especially since Jo seems to have a
rather limited vocabulary liberally sprinkled with MF. Moreover, the playwright
delays revealing information about her that might have made her seem more
plausible if known sooner. Her best scene comes when she talks about having
newscaster hair and delivering a speech that's a parody of vacuous TV
announcers.
Finally,
the play has a third character, Barbara (Joan Mankin), who provides sound effects on
drums and gongs and seems to manipulate some of the action via levers in her
kiosk off to one side of the stage. It turns out she's a museum docent for a
historical re-enactment by actors playing Jo and Jules. Her escalating issues
with management become more intrusive as she becomes more overwrought.
The
bunker-like set, provisioned with stacks of cartons and a centrally placed fish
tank, is by Erik Flatmo, with lighting by Michael Palumbo. The costumes are by Callie
Floor, the sound
and music by Chris Houston.
Despite
some humorous moments and a solid cast, the play doesn't work as well as one
might hope in Ryan Rilette's staging.
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