‘Boom’ at Aurora Theatre
Eve Krueger and Topher Payne, Photo: Dominic Stanley
Hallelujah! Great, original, locally produced theater has arrived!
“Boom” is one of the smartest shows Atlanta has seen in some time. A fast-moving absurd, comedy that runs 90 minutes, “Boom” brings two unlikely dysfunctional characters together and asks: What would two people who intensely dislike each other do if they were the last human beings on earth?
A college journalism student, Jo (Eve Krueger), answers a Craig’s List ad for “intensely significant coupling.” She meets her date, Jules (Topher Payne), a marine biologist, in his university laboratory/home for a night of passion.
Within moments of meeting, Jo commands him to take off his clothes. But he’s not interested in sex. This gay man who has never had a sexual encounter with anyone has brought her here to save the world. He knows, from studying the swimming patterns of fish, that a meteor is going to strike the earth tonight and kill everyone on the planet.
When the meteor hits, everything on earth is destroyed but these two, who are safe in Jules’s hermetically sealed, vaulted home underground. They must remain inside the vaulted doors for at least two years to protect them from the hazardous environment outside. Jo, also a virgin, despises Jules and the thought of having a baby with him so much that she begs him to kill her.
This tale of how Jo and Jules repopulated the world is recreated inside a museum exhibit. Its docent, Barbara (Shelly McCook), shows viewers exactly what happened during that fatal epoch thousands of years ago.
While the premise may sound as ridiculous as that of Adam and Eve, the relationships between Jo and Jules are as real and twisted as those we see in real life. Credit is due to the truthful performances of all three actors, who make their characters believable and amusing.
Peter Sinn Nachtrieb, the author of “Boom,” has written numerous plays and won many play-writing awards. His play “Colorado” was performed at Dad’s Garage in Atlanta in 2007.
Directed by Joe Gfaller, “Boom” is playing at the Aurora Theatre in Lawrenceville, Ga., through Oct. 4.
a HUGE thank you for being the first to bring this production to my attention through your review (which came through my RSS feed). (I told the Aurora folks that I learned about the production through your review.)
when I was in the DC area last fall, the Washington City Paper had a rave review of the Woolly Mammoth production. I ripped it out, figuring that maybe one day I might be able to read it, never thinking I’d be able to see it.
you are right, the Aurora production was fantastic. so well done and so funny. I wish it was running another week, so I could see it again. Thanks again.