The Monkey Room is at The Magic!!!
THE MONKEY ROOM IS AT THE MAGIC
I have always loved the Magic Theatre in
The play combines comedy and uncomfortable reality as it brings to life the extremes a scientist will risk to keep the money coming in and poses the question, which is the major issue in a lab: the research or the result? Scientists are human beings, after all and lab studies demand imagination as well as technical expertise. The playwright is a researcher himself and he shows us how determined lab technicians are to continue their work, not for the lives it may save but for the job it provides. Says Chris Smith, Artistic Director of the Magic, ”The Monkey Room has a lab setting as well as situations and characters that are both original and recognizable.……the world (Kevin Fisher) creates is as accurate as it is idiosyncratic, and as credible as it is compelling.”
The topic may not be as exciting as a whodunit or a hot romance, but it is far more meaningful to the way the populace as a whole understands what medical research involves, what it costs and the petty competitiveness that is within the field. Ava sums up the feelings of many researchers in the HIV field when she says “all the good ideas are taken”…and she must find something different or lose her job. The production asks us, “ Where is the line between perseverance and madness in one’s quest for a scientific breakthrough?”
It is the quality of the production itself that elevates this profound theater piece into art. Mark Routhier’s direction is gifted, James Faeron has designed a spectacular set, made thrilling by Christopher Studley’s lighting effects. Lauren Grace and Kevin Rolston do not miss a beat in their banter and every bit of it is real. They are not just scientists on a quest. They are real human beings with the same needs and the same fears we all have. They want job security; They want approval; They want love and they want to be respected for what they have accomplished. Jessica Kitchens (Freda) the new gal on the team strikes just the right balance between bravado and fear and Robert Parsons is perfect as the devil’s advocate who becomes a threat to what Ava and her team are trying to preserve. All of these characters are trying to convince themselves as well as each other that they are important and their work meaningful. Yet it is obvious to the audience that they have laid bare their need to continue their work not because of its value, but because they need to do it.
The Monkey Room is not entertaining despite the comic lines and flip repartee. It is thought provoking. It is a play everyone should see and ponder so he can understand what is behind optimistic headlines that promise new breakthroughs that will erase diseases that plague and puzzle mankind. We all need to be aware of how much hype and false promise underlies blatant headlines announcing vaccines that erase Aids, injections that destroy cancer and implants that make us see, hear, dance and think again.
Bouquets to Chris Smith for having the courage to present this kind of play. If you want to live intelligently and gain new insight into the world we live in, it is a must see.
If you go: The Monkey Room continues until May 4, Wednesday-Saturday @ 8 pm, Sundays @2:30 & 7 pm.
Where: Magic Theatre, Bldg D,
Tickets: !415) 441 8822 or www.magictheatre.org.