Do you remember what you did on Sept. 11, 2001? Do you remember having the TV running nonstop the following days, watching the Twin Towers falling again and again while struggling to comprehend what had happened? How long does it take to resume a normal life after such a catastrophe?
Craig Wright's tragicomedy "Recent Tragic Events" tells the story of two Americans on the day following the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The play opens with Andrew (Alejandro Simoes), an airport bookstore employee in Minneapolis, knocking at Waverly's (Aimee Rose Ranger) door. They have arranged a blind date with each other and have decided to meet despite the terrible events the day before. But how do you behave on a date after such a traumatic event?
From the moment Andrew enters the door, he is visibly nervous. He simply does not know how to handle himself. In the background of the action, a TV is constantly running countless news reports. It feels as if the falling of the Twin Towers is repeating again and again in Waverly's living room, grabbing their attention and disrupting their thoughts. They refer to the attacks as "the thing," and can barely speak of them. The normal conversations one expects from a first date - questions such as what books do you like or where do you work - only seem to happen in between the TV news reports.
This tragicomedy does a very good job of taking us think back to the day after Sept. 11. The auditorium of the Factory Theater is small; it has 49 seats, which are arranged in a horseshoe around the stage. It is a cozy theater that seems familiar and reminds people of a typical living room. Before the first act starts, the house manager Jen comes to the fore and explains to the audience that a volunteer has to flip a coin. The side on which the coin lands will determine the way the play will continue. Whenever a signal sounds, which happens pretty often during the first act, the actors improvise due to the version the coin flipping determined.
This element underlines the theme of chance that runs through the work. "That could happen tomorrow somewhere else, and the next day and the next day. I feel very unsafe," Waverly tells Andrew. The randomness reflects the persistent helplessness and uncertainty of these days. This is the crowning achievement of Wright's play, as it shows the audience the interaction between average people and a large historical event over which they have no control.
The play also offers a certain sense of humor and entertainment thanks to the provoking relationships that develop between the characters.
While the first act is pretty straight forward while remaining interesting to watch, the second act tries to evolve a debate about free will and fate. It captures the helplessness of the victims of these types of events. In the play, author Joyce Carol Oates, Waverly's great?aunt, comes to visit. She is played by Meg Taintor, who plays Nancy while using a hand puppet to represent Oates. This demonstration begs the question of whether free will exists or if human beings are only puppets in a play which is already predetermined and written by someone else. Together with Ron (Nathaniel Gundy) and Andrew, the hand puppet encourages thoughts about freedom, predetermination and our choices in life. While Ron and Andrew are skeptical and confused by the actual events, Oates defends the idea of free will.
"Recent Tragic Events" is an interesting play that asks many large and hard?hitting questions of its audiences without giving simple answers. It is the type of theater that is likely to generate much discussion after the show is over.
