New playwright Anders Lustgarten is also a campaigning activist and the emotional aftermath of 9/11 provides fertile ground for him to examine both the personal and political implications of that horrific event as the McFarlanes wait in their New Jersey home for news of the son they will never see again.
Lustgarten movingly shows the various stages of their grief as Lisa Eichhorn's gentle Susan (a teacher) and Vincent Riotta's enraged Tom (a fire-fighter) try to come to terms with an unfathomable loss, their previously loving relationship torn apart not only by their different ways of coping but also by their political beliefs . And Fiz Marcus's Hanna brought tears to my eyes as, her own marriage abruptly ended by the collapse of the Twin Towers, she listens once again to the last missed message her husband would ever send.
The helpless incomprehension of all three is palpable as friends and relatives rally round offering support which always seems inadequate and out of tune with their needs. But then, no matter where the blame lies, neither anger nor compassion can offer much solace to grieving parents who have only a tiny identifying scrap of their son's shoulder blade – the size of a quarter - returned to them to bury.
Finborough, Finborough Road, SW10 (0844-847 1652). Until August 30. Tickets £13 (£9 Tuesdays).
No comments:
Post a Comment