Epic in its scope and timeframe, intimate in its intersecting family dramas, bleak in its depiction of a world doomed by climate change, and as thrillingly theatrical as stage storytelling gets, Rogue Machine’s West Coast Premiere of Mike Bartlett’s Earthquakes In London is sure to be one of the season’s most talked-about productions.

A 1968 prologue introduces us to Robert (Paul Stanko) and Grace (Miranda Wynne), whose sparks-filled first date will lead to marriage, Robert’s conversion from idealistic environmentalist to airline industry sellout, and the birth of three daughters destined to lead disconnected lives in 2010 London.

Eldest sibling Sarah (Anna Khaja) is a Liberal Democrat serving as Environment Secretary for England’s Tory government, six-month-pregnant Freya (Ava Bogle) would like nothing better than for her unborn child to remain that way, and university student Jasmine (Taylor Shurte) spends more time on drink-and-drug-fueled dates than attending classes.

As for the men in their lives, Sarah’s out-of-work husband (Jeff Lorch as Colin) would just as soon stay at home and mope as look for employment, Freya’s (James Liebman as Steve) is bound and determined to investigate what’s behind his wife’s smoking, drinking, and depression, and footloose-and-fancy-free Jasmine is about to become intimately involved with an Eritrean immigrant (Christian Telesmar as Tom) who’s got blackmail on his mind.

That all three sisters can blame their woes on a father (Ron Bottita as Robert’s now 70-year-old self) who abandoned them when his wife got pregnant with their third child would be enough for just about any other playwright to tackle.

Bartlett, however, has a good deal more on his mind, i.e. the very survival of our planet, and with scientist Robert predicting its end within his offspring’s lifetime, the stakes in Earthquakes In London are as high as they get.

Audiences who might be put off by the play’s three-hour running time can rest assured that not all is doom and gloom.

Not only does Bartlett know how to provide comic relief (Jasmine’s environmental striptease is a hoot and Zoey Bond’s cheeky tween Peter is too) but some whimsical song-and-dance fantasy sequences (delightfully choreographed by Marwa Bernstein) just might have you thinking you’re watching Earthquakes In London: The Musical.

Divided into five acts (though performed with a single intermission), Earthquakes In London does go haywire when its too trippy Act Five rolls around, but until then, time flies by quite briskly and compellingly indeed, directors Hollace Starr and John Perrin Flynn keeping things moving with swiftness and cinematic flair while eliciting one razor-sharp performance after another, most particularly from a stunning Bogle and an on-fire Bottitta but also from Bond, Khaja, Liebman, Lorch, Schurte, Stanko, Telesmar, and Wynne, with Michael James Bell (Simon, Roy), Turner Frankosky (Daniel, Policeman), Kaitlin Kelly (Casey, Nurse, Jogger), Kevin Phan (Dr. Tim), Sara Shearer (Old Woman), Jonathan P. Sims (Carter), and Mari Weiss (Mrs. Andrews, Maryna) completing the triple-threat cast to perfection. (Kudos too to dialect coach Bell for accents that sound to this reviewer’s ears as authentic and specific as anything I’ve heard on Masterpiece.)

Michelle Hanzelova’s multitude of rapidfire multi-screen projections may prove the evening’s production design linchpin, but David Mauer’s multi-tasking set, Halei Parker’s costumes (from character-defining to fanciful), Matt Richter’s dramatic lighting, and Christopher Moscatiello’s stirring sound design are top-drawer as well, and Michael Redfield scores points for musical directing the cast’s melodious vocal harmonies.

Earthquakes In London is produced by Flynn. Amy-Helene Carlson is co-producer.

Casting is by Victoria Hoffman. Joshua Chamberlain is assisant director, Taylor Tucker is assistant costume designer, Katilin Chang is assistant lighting designer, and Lauren Jennerjohn is assistant choreographer.

Amanda Bierbauer is production manager, David Mauer is technical director, and Ramon Valdez and Hanzelova are backstage managers.

Less excitingly told, Earthquakes In London might leave audiences in utter despair as to what lies ahead. That’s not to say you’ll exit Rogue Machine Theatre with a smile on your lips and hope in your heart, but one thing is certain. You will have experienced contemporary theater at its most thought-provoking, cutting-edge, and exhilarating.

The Electric Lodge, 1416 Electric Ave., Venice.
www.roguemachinetheatre.com

–Steven Stanley
January 16, 2020
Photos: John Perrin Flynn

Tags: Los Angeles Theater Review, Mike Bartlett, Rogue Machine Theatre, The Electric Lodge