Song of Extinction
When E.M. Lewis set out to write a play that uses science as a metaphor she remembered she didn’t know anything about science, but her world premiere at [Inside] the Ford proves that she knows plenty about the heart. Mosaic and dreamy, Lewis uses the concept of extinction taught by the unlikeliest of heroes -- a Cambodian high school biology teacher and a threatened Bolivian beetle to explore the fragile connection between a father and his sensitive teenage son on the brink of losing it all.
The classic themes of loss and redemption are nothing new and practically de rigueur in coming of age dramas, so etched in our psyches that one can guess as to how the play is going to end by opening the program. In spite of this form’s predictability, Lewis weaves a mesmerizing tale that gently plucks on the universal chords of the human condition, namely grief and acceptance and the wisdom it imparts from the experience that is both personal and shared. It is the journey then, brilliantly illuminated by director Heidi Helen Davis, and not the end, that strikes a resounding note as powerful and delicate as the beating effect of a butterfly’s wing.
The play opens with Khim Phan (Darrell Kunitomi) holding a metronome (which seamlessly transposes to an EKG monitor) recounting his boyhood memories of his Cambodian homeland, feeling bereft by age and the lack of influence he has on his students.
One student in particular, Max Forrestal (Will Faught) is struggling with his own demons and with the musical composition in his head. Skipping school while keeping his viola lessons, he visits his dying mother Lily (Lori Yeghiayan) that tries to put on a brave front for his sake. At home Max is all but neglected by his father Ellery (Michael Shutt) obsessed with saving a Bolivian beetle, an obvious symbol of his denial and hope that he can somehow save his wife.
Unable to cope with his mother’s condition and frustrated by Phan’s 20-page assignment on the subject of extinction, Max asks his mentor the age old existentialist question, “Why do we do this if we’re all going to fucking die?” In an attempt to teach Max more than just biology, Phan explains the personal aspects of extinction through the loss of his family and his homeland by genocide. He adds, “Americans are very bad at the concept of extinction.” And so begins a friendship that bonds beyond the classroom and spills over during a midnight meal of noodles where the teacher and the student learn the most important lesson of all: All we have is each other.
The triumph of this play is the masterful blend of visual and audio elements that complement the text with an exquisite tenderness and spellbinding artistry. Original music composed by emerging talent Geoffrey Pope perfectly underscores Lewis’ themes of loss and letting go with memorable bursts from a viola that is moody and evocative. The set design by Stephanie Kerley Schwartz is as efficient as it is thoughtful to detail, centralizing an over-arched gossamer hospital curtain that lends a haunting quality to Lily’s scenes. An overhead screen provides photographs of the endangered Bolivian beetle, Cambodia and Phan’s family without distraction and grounds the otherworldly quality of these descriptions with luminous clarity balanced with sharp realism.
The cast is superb, albeit there may have been moments of opening night jitters. Darrell Kunitomi delivers a touching performance with nuances of humor. He is magnetic as he is self-possessed, in total sync with his character and the tonality he expresses.
Underneath the brooding surface of a musical genius, Will Faught pulsates with anger, giving an otherwise desperate confrontation with his father hard hitting emotion. Faught manages to wear Max’s feelings on his sleeve without overplaying the drama. He finds an extraordinary depth, but pulls out all the stops in the moments of overwhelming fear.
The play may be predisposed to end a certain way, but there is something magical and significant in this heartfelt journey that softly beckons the heart to listen to the song of extinction before it’s too late.
“Song of Extinction”
[Inside] the Ford
2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East
Hollywood, CA 90068
PH: 323-461-3673
Runs Nov 7th through Dec 14th
Thurs, Fri & Sat at 8pm
Sundays at 3pm & Pay-What-You-Can 7pm evenings
Dark Thanksgiving
Audiences are invited to stay after the 3pm matinee, or to arrive early prior to the evening performance at 7pm, for a Talk Back Series on Sundays at 5pm.
Free on-site (non-stacked) parking
www.FordTheatres.org