Maya Antoinette Riley in fire work (Don Ipock)
What if Peter Pan’s Lost Boys existed not on a fantasy island free from responsibility, but under a system of extreme capitalism? That’s not a question I’d ever asked, but a new play currently running at the Unicorn Theatre has given us an answer.
Fire work, by Mary Glen Fredrick, is set in a dystopian future/alternate world/dark fable reality that depends on child labor to make its wheels turn. Eleanor (Maya Antoinette Riley) is a self-described “10-year-old woman,” and while the descriptor comes off the same way any typical child might proclaim her “big kid” stature (she’s also “married,” but only “kid married,” not the real kind, she acknowledges), based on the things she’s experienced and the daily hardships she endures, it’s also sadly accurate.
A new bill is being introduced by the lawmakers of this world that would change the child labor laws and force Eleanor to stop working. As her family’s sole breadwinner providing for her mother and many siblings, including young babies, this change would destroy Eleanor’s life and the lives of all the people who depend on her. Still, the political machinations seem too far removed from her actual life to be anything but hopeless until she meets a group of kids from another factory in another part of town. These are worldly, politically-minded “bridge kids,” whose favorite game is a sort of class-warfare-based dodgeball called “Eat the Rich.”
Eleanor’s “husband,” Bartholomew (Solomon Langley) is mistrustful of these new kids and wary of the turmoil they bring, threatening to upend both his professional stability and his marriage. (He’s also just been promoted to factory foreman, earning him the designation of “class traitor” in the eyes of the bridge kids.) Eleanor, though, is fascinated by their passion and political shrewdness. They are as drawn to her as she is to them, and she immediately finds herself in a leadership position, driving her new comrades to advocate for themselves and enact change by any means necessary.
With fire work, Fredrick has crafted a brilliant, beautiful, wholly original piece of art. The entire play is shockingly fun for such dark subject matter. The circumstances of this world are so complex that I never felt truly certain about who and what I was rooting for, despite feeling deeply invested in each character. At only 90 minutes, this show is a whirlwind of despair and joy, of hope and rage. I was riveted from start to finish.
To set the stage, Mark Exline’s set reaches far to both sides, but outside of the central set—a clubhouse hideaway—this sprawling dirt landscape is barren space. The effect is haunting, emphasizing just how isolated these kids are.
Director Katie Gilchrist has mined every moment of Fredrick’s beautiful script, making sure every bit of humor and poignancy land with a soft touch. The show has an aura of underdog scrappiness to it, and that feeling matches the characters well. But for the work itself, it’s clear that impression is carefully curated by an expert hand.
To bring this play to life, Gilchrist has brought together a fantastic cast. The small ensemble (which also includes Bree Patterson, Mandy Ortiz, Mateo Moreno, Tehreem Chaudhry and Fiona Ford) infuses each of their characters with nuanced humanity and personality. Existing within such a severe environment in this dark, funny and wholly original play, their moments of joy are just as poignant as their tragedies.
“fire work” runs through March 30 at the Unicorn Theatre, 3828 Main St. For more information, visit unicorntheatre.org.
