With my limited prior knowledge of The Children being only that it’s set in the aftermath of a nuclear meltdown, I certainly wasn’t expecting to laugh out loud on multiple occasions. Yet that’s exactly what I did.
Lucy Kirkwood’s play follows Rose (Alice Macey-Dare) as she returns to visit a couple with whom she once worked at a nuclear power plant: Hazel (Izzy Lever) and Robin (Nathaniel Wintraub). The play begins deceptively simply, seeming just a friendly reunion. At first, hints are only scattered sparingly that they all live in a post-apocalyptic world. The layered writing style cleverly establishes the characters by using enjoyable throwaway humour, all while gradually pushing the plot forward. As the story unfolds, the relationships between these three characters are revealed to be more complex than they first appear. It soon becomes clear that Rose’s visit has a deeper purpose as she encourages Hazel and Robin to take responsibility for their role in the nuclear meltdown, and to confront the damage rather than ignore it.
I appreciate that this play may not sound the most joyful: however, the script’s quiet comedy was brought to life brilliantly through performance. Lines often weren’t inherently funny, but when Lever performed them with the perfect expression and intonation of a devoted mother, it was truly hilarious. Likewise, Macey-Dare shone comedically during cheery anecdotes about Rose’s life, interspersed between impactfully conveyed moments of tension. Joshua Robey’s direction made great use of physical cues throughout, and Wintraub earned laughs from the audience on multiple occasions without speaking a single word.
Beyond the performances, the set design was another standout element. Since the entire play takes place in a single room, the designers had the opportunity to create a detailed and immersive setting. They could have simply relied on the BT Studio’s classic black cube backdrop, leaving the rest to the audience’s imagination. Instead, the effort taken to create a home on stage heightened the realism.
Small details (such as a boiling kettle producing steaming drinks, and an impressively appetising salad being chopped and eaten by the actors) made it feel less like watching a play and more like peering through a window into these characters’ lives. However, this realism was also a double-edged sword. At times, all three actors would be on stage, but one of them would have their back turned to the audience during dialogue. This occasionally obscured facial expressions, making it harder to have a full appreciation of the emotions being conveyed. A slight adjustment to the actors’ blocking and the angling of chairs could easily resolve this issue by further opening out the performance towards the audience.
Despite its one hour, 45 minutes runtime without an interval, the production remained captivating throughout, which is a testament to the writing, acting, and direction. This was an impressive debut for Fennec Fox Productions and I look forward to seeing the next show they produce. The Children left me with the important lasting thought that our actions can have dire consequences for others, and it is our responsibility to address them. This message is especially pertinent given the current climate crisis. The Children reminds us that what we do now will impact future generations forever.
[The Children, by Fennec Fox Productions, is playing at the Burton Taylor Studio, 4th-8th Feb at 7:30pm]