Photo Source: Gerry Goodstein
Not that the work isn't ambitious. Four characters employed by the Centers for Disease Control are tasked to trace the history of a SARS epidemic. Nevertheless, they seem more consumed by their repetitive, trying domestic difficulties than actually finding an antidote to the disease.
We have two couples. Mara and Daniel are straight, married epidemiologists. She wants a baby; he wants a vasectomy. In the other corner, Fermina and Lydia are lesbian, unmarried vaccinologists. Fermina wants a baby; Lydia wants fame. That both of them inexplicably clunk around in heels in the lab may or may not be significant.
Maguire drags in religious fundamentalists, Russians, the Taliban, OxyContin and, oh, the destruction of the planet by "bulldozing rain forests, poisoning the air." He obviously has a lot of worries on his plate, and his background research shows. But that doesn't make for a compelling dramatic work of characters, action, and conflict.
The title apparently comes from the clash between subjective beliefs and objective science. In addition to searching for clues to the epidemic, Fermina and Lydia's work involves live viruses. Risking the ire of fundamentalists, they've "reconstructed the steps that led to the origin of life." Well, that's intriguing.
Life and urgency are only two of the elements lacking here. You reach a point where you don't care about either the epidemic or who is or is not having a baby.
Director Michael Kimmel attempts to resurrect the evening by having the actors announce each advance of the virus in sepulchral tones, backed by menacing music. The music, by Andrew Ingkavet, is at least more invigorating than the play.
The performances don't help. Kim Blair screeches as Mara, Jeffrey Withers is a bland Daniel, and Maggie Bofill is just annoying as Lydia. Only Amirah Vann, as Fermina, makes her character into a semblance of a recognizable human being, even with lines like "The variation in titer caused by DIP has behaviors that mirror deterministic chaos, which means that effects of DIP are unpredictable beyond a short time." Ouch.
Presented by Creation Production Company at the Lion Theater, 410 W. 42nd St., NYC. Jan. 18–Feb. 4. Wed.–Sat., 8 p.m. (Additional performance Tue., Jan. 31, 7 p.m.) (212) 239-6200, (800) 432-7250, or www.telecharge.com.
