By Chuck Graham, TucsonStage.com
photo by Tim Fuller
Renee (Elizabeth Falcon) is distressed by the sudden appearance of a stork. Is this a real stork, or an avatar of her mind?
“Babel” written by Jacqueline Goldfinger imagines a futuristic world where the democratic society at large has voted its approval of eugenics as government policy.
Embryo are inspected during pregnancy to identify any future faults that might develop, then a God-like government inspector decides if the “preemie” should continue its progress toward birth and a perfect life in perfect health, or be considered defective in some way and arbitrarily set aside to grow up in a lesser neighborhood for those similarly marked as deplorable.
We in the audience don't get to see any of these perfectly defined eugenics policies, but we surely hear lots of talk about them.
The all-white stage design is dominated by a pair of double beds, separated by a couch. One bed is for Dani (Callie Hutchison) and Renee (Elizabeth Falcon), a lesbian couple having a baby together. They feel sure their child will be born a beautiful, bright and robust human being free of any defects because both parents have been “certified.”
But it also appears there is a slim chance their baby may be defective. Was there something in the sperm donor's complete profile? Probably everything will turn out well, but...nothing is absolutely certain.
The other double bed belongs to Jamie (Sean Patrick) and Anne (Ariel Cheng), a fine, regular heterosexual couple. Their child's prenatal condition is excellent. But even this little one's future isn't guaranteed.
As the play begins, both couples are the best of friends – young, enlightened, happy they deserve to become the expert parents of perfect children.
Unfortunately, we in the audience never get to see any of this hauntingly perfect society that exists in complete fulfillment outside the symbolic sleeping quarters we see onstage.
In smaller roles as the heterosexually perfect couple, with their baby developing perfectly inside Anne's positively certified body, it turns out there are other problems. Jamie doesn't offer much help, either, in soothing Anne's feelings.
Goldfinger has added a kind of comic/scary fantasy figure – calling it an avatar of the mind – which definitely creates more anxiety between Renee and Anne. This avatar takes the image of a talking stork, and in Renee's state of mind, the Stork's unpleasant attitude doesn't bring much natal comfort.
The Stork's identity also becomes an important part of the plot.
Among the cast members, Falcon does most of the heavy emotional lifting. She always wants to be optimistic, and think positive thoughts, but the other side of her, the practical side, keeps warning her not to be foolish. Falcon works hard expressing this dueling duality.
“Babel,” directed by Bryan Rafael Falcon, runs through Oct. 3 in the Scoundrel & Scamp Theatre at The Historic Y, 738 N. Fifth Ave., with performances Fridays-Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., Sunday matinees at 2 p.m.
COVID precautions include wearing a mask at all times in the theater, and require each ticket holder to have a medical card showing proof of both vaccinations or proof of a negative COVID-19 test dated within 72 hours of the show date.
Theater staff suggest the play is suitable for ages 14+. The run time is approximately 90 minutes.
Tickets are $30 general admission, $28 for seniors 65+, $15 for students, teachers and theater artists, free for members of The Scoundrel Society. For further details, visit scoundrelandscamp.org or telephone 520-448-3300.
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