The Bomb - A Partial History at Tricycle Theatre

The Bomb - A Partial History at Tricycle Theatre

22 February, 2012
by: Naima Khan

Naima Khan reviews the lasting effects of the ten short plays that make up The Bomb - A Partial History at Tricycle Theatre

There are ten short plays that make up Nicolas Kent's series The Bomb – A Partial History, and it's tempting to write an essay on each one. Such is the breadth of material that the nine playwrights cover in their works about the atomic bomb.

The pieces range from a comical North Korean discussion of finance under Kim Jong-un (Axis by Diana Son) to black market dealings in the Ukraine (Little Russians by John Donnelly) before a compelling mediation on what happens if the bombs do actually go off. And they fit together like an eerie collage that draws from different times but reflects our consistent human tendencies, and with them, the repetitive human problems of responsibility, conscience and power. As a character in Ron Hutchinson's Calculated Risk explains, "you rearranged the atom, you didn't change human nature”.

The best of the plays, which are presented in two parts – aptly titled First and Second Blast – are the ones that give the audience a position in the script. Option by Amit Gupta, The Letter of Last Resort by David Greig and Calculated Risk each have a character that struggles with the morality of their situation on personal terms, compounded by their political positions.

Gupta's play brings a much needed discussion of philosophy, national identity and a self-aware expectation of metaphor to a series which sees an American called Cal set up a gentlemen's club with a membership of one, a British butler and a crafty Chinese cook (Seven Joys by Lee Blessing).

Also in Gupta's play is one of the standout performances of the night from Paul Bhattacharjee as the Indian professor who can only withdraw from a discussion of bloodied hands. Belinda Lang as a Prime Minister asked to write a Letter of Last Resort in the event of nuclear war is unforgettable and Nathalie Armin proves her chameleon-like capabilities in her numerous and varied roles.

First and Second Blast differ only in the time periods they address, with both parts presenting individuals who are, for the most part, certain of the implications of their actions and struggle with their moral stance and the enormity of it all. Breaking up the plays in Second Blast with verbatim edited by Richard Norton-Taylor seems unnecessary and overtly bureaucratic but this only dampens not soaks the most powerful parallels that run throughout the plays. These include depictions of paradoxes, discussions of Schrödinger's Cat, and the notion of holding multiple rationalities in your mind at once – all of which you'll struggle with long after the final curtain.

The Bomb – A Partial History runs at Tricycle Theatre until 1st April

Image: Belinda Lang and Simon Chandler in The Letter of Last Resort, The Bomb, John Haynes

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Naima Khan