THEATER

Think of the Children

Lucy Kirkwood’s 2016 show The Children stuns at New Mexico Actors Lab

BY ZOE BURKE author@sfreporter.com

The penultimate offering of New Mexico Actors Lab’s 2022 season, The Children, very much follows the company’s mission of producing socially conscious works—in fact, it might be one of the most relevant pieces to the time in which it’s being produced from the company in recent memory.

Inspired by the 2011 Fukushima nuclear explosion in Japan, Kirkwood’s play received a fair amount of attention during its original London and Broadway runs before becoming available to smaller professional theater groups, and it feels both incredibly urgent and timely in its Santa Fe premiere; the kind of theater that makes you burst out in laughter at one moment, then delivers the most unexpected gut punch the next. Here, British playwright Kirkwood and, by extension, New Mexico Actors Lab co-artistic director Robert Benedetti and his troupe create a universe that truly engages the audience in the action and envelops them in the world of its characters.

The Children opens with Rose (the always superb Lynn Goodwin) dropping by to visit former colleague—and sort of frenemy—Hazel (a powerfully understated Leslie Dillen) at the seaside cottage she shares with her husband, Robin (Brent Black, in a playful and complex turn). We learn through elegantly woven details that the three previously worked together as scientists at a nuclear power plant, which has since undergone a major disaster, leading Hazel and Robin to vacate their actual home and their lives to take on a subdued, careful existence while they wait for some degree of normalcy. Yes, the script might feel a bit too real in that regard, a bit of something we’ve all experienced in recent years. But as the text and actors dance around the purpose of Hazel and Robin’s unexpected guest, the audience must grapple with issues of safety and self-preservation versus community and ethical responsibility, aging and familial obligations and, ultimately, what we owe each other as human beings.

For a less creatively stacked company, The Children’s script poses an abundance of potentially daunting challenges, both for design and performance. It would be a misstep for this reviewer to mention too many of the twists and turns of the script (part of the fun of the evening was hearing exclamations and reactions from my fellow audience members), but suffice it to say, in the capable hands here, the piece is a tour de force for everyone involved.

The crew at New Mexico Actors Lab, led by director Benedetti, meets the given obstacles beautifully at nearly every turn, to both highly comedic and deeply profound effect. The only modification they might have considered involves some of the physical storytelling—the brief moments of combat and intimacy, while well-staged and executed, did not always flow as well as the rest of the action. Regardless, Benedetti and his actors have achieved a lovely balance, bringing the humor and brightness of Kirkwood’s work to the forefront from the very top, while still allowing space for unsettling and uncomfortable energy that rings so painfully true. Though The Children is not about a pandemic, the sense of perpetual foreboding and trying, but never quite reaching, a new normal makes a significant and relatable impression.

The company’s casting remains a consistent strength, as well. Benedetti knows his talent pool well and directs the actors therein to great effect. This is very much the case here: Goodwin, Dillen and Black

LYNN ROYLANCE perform their roles effortlessly, which is no small feat given the entire 90-minute show essentially takes place through one elaborate scene. The actors have very few moments to catch a breath offstage, but the chemistry between the three is completely believable and contributes to the intricacies within Kirkwood’s character relationships in an impactful way, particularly as the stakes increase throughout the show. Benedetti’s staging is intuitive and effective; it is clear that significant care was put into ensuring all audience members have a clear view of the action throughout the production, which may sound like an odd consideration, but given the regular use of a thrust-style stage configuration at the Lab (basically, a stage surrounded on three sides by seating, which can allow for innovative physical storytelling, but also tricky angles), it’s a valid concern. The pacing is also excellent with its runtime flying by.

The Children is exceedingly well-crafted on a technical level, with lighting designer Skip Rapoport approaching genius in its subtlety. Through his scenic design, Benedetti has created a gorgeously realistic depiction of a humble, comfortable cottage, and some clever and thoroughly unexpected technical surprises toward the final curtain show that, though New Mexico Actors Lab might be settling into its newish home theater in Midtown, by no means are they settling in any other capacity. At various points throughout the show, for example, the actors engage with real food. The added touch of the aroma of bread and fresh greens grounded the action in an unexpected but much appreciated way.

Still, the content of the play is rather heavy, and it’s important to note that The Children, while sidestepping easy answers, ends not precisely with a sense of optimism, but that of growth, accountability and bravery in the face of disaster. It’s also a lovely look at human resiliency and the way that people, no matter how flawed, still have the opportunity to practice compassion and maybe, just maybe, make a difference for someone else, at another time.

THE CHILDREN

7:30 pm Thursday, Oct. 13-Saturday, Oct. 15 2 pm Sunday, Oct. 16 $15-$30. The Lab Theatre 1213 Parkway Drive, (505) 395-6576