Further
Than The Furthest Thing
I like a good story, one
with an air of mystery and an element of surprise. Zinnnie Harris’s
new play, FURTHER THAN THE FURTHEST THING is just that, a narrative
with a lot of complications.
The play is set in 1961
on a remote mountainous island with neither electricity, trees nor
an abundance of food. The islanders we meet are only partly modern.
And while their way of life appears far more simple than our own,
it is also harsh. Still, the 1st Act culminates with a
typical New York City news story. Young woman murders new born.
It seems too shocking,
but it is merely a foreshadowing for all of the islanders from whom
life as they have known it will be taken. When we meet them in Act
II, they are stranded in England, their island reportedly destroyed
by a volcano.
Looking back at it now
I can see nuances in the dialogue which didn’t dawn on me at
first as when the friendly English factory owner tells the bewildered
immigrants, "When you are naked be Britains. It’s good to
be Britains." In retrospect he is being a kindly Gestapo.
And as the story unfolds
we discover the effects of war and power politics on a population
far outside the political arena. Through exposition we hear about
the demise of the islanders during World War II when boats carrying
supplies ceased to arrive. The islanders did not know why. But more
importantly we see them in the present denied of their homes and their
simple island way of life. It is a curt reminder about loss, especially
unexpected loss.
The production is tightly
directed by Neil Pepe with consistently strong performances especially
Jenny Sterlin’s Millie, an islander wizened by war and the loss
it engenders.
That’s This Week Off-Broadway.
I’m Isa Goldberg.
