By: Darryl Reilly
Orson Mankel: You want to play Russian roulette with your kids, go for it. But when you bring Little Miss Typhoid Mary to school, you put all our children at risk.
Delia Perez: You’re a disgusting human, Orson Mankel.
Myla Townes: What’s truly disgusting is endangering others people’s children over your pseudo-scientific bullshit.
These are a portion of parents’ livestream comments during a Zoom session with a private elementary school executive committee chairman, during playwright Jonathan Spector’s contemporary satire, Eureka Day; there are a lot of emojis. This sequence is a hilarious highlight of the play, which concludes with an equally biting curtain line.
We are in the school library of the Eureka Day School, in Berkley, California, it is the start of the 2018 term. The four senior executive committee members welcome a new, fifth member; a mother of a student who has recently moved to the area. There is the familiar lampooning of bureaucracy while getting to know each character over time. The ensuing drama is an outbreak of mumps, revealing vociferous pro and anti-vaccine factions among the parents and executive committee members. Options considered are instituting a vaccine mandate, a voluntary policy, or keeping the school closed until the outbreak subsides. There is suspense as the chosen policy is decided.
Mr. Spector is a lauded and widely produced regional American playwright; Eureka Day is his Broadway debut, presented by the Manhattan Theatre Club. The writing is technically polished, the upper-class characters are defined, sharp jokes are plentiful, and the topical plot resonates; vegan scones are pivotal. It has the meta dimension of an affluent, subscription-based audience laughing at characters just like themselves as ultra progressivism is mercilessly skewered. Spector has created perfect archetypes for the actors to run with.
Bill Irwin is delightfully in avuncular elder statesman mode as the chairman. Jessica Hecht entrancingly employs her distinctive dreamy persona and spacey vocal delivery as a soulful antivaxxer. Vivacious Amber Gray portrays the new, middle of the road member with charming range. Thomas Middleditch wickedly plays the platitude spouting tech tycoon. The animated Chelsea Yakura-Kurtz is ferocious as a volatile member. Eboni Flowers is dryly comic during her cameo following an Ira Levin-style plot twist.
Director Anna D. Shapiro’s energetic staging mines the piece’s comedy while emphasizing its societal themes. Scenic Todd Rosenthal’s lavish school library incites laughter before the play begins. David Bengali’s uproarious, jolting projection design is integral to the presentation. Lighting designer Jen Schriever’s shimmering palette of varying hues richly complement the production. Rob Milburn and Michael Bodeen’s jaunty, sly original music and effects are vividly realized by their fine sound design. Clint Ramos’ catchy costume design is of Northen California opulence.
(Photo credit: Jeremy Daniel)
Eureka Day is a breezy entertainment gleefully depicting current cultural issues.
Eureka Day (through February 15, 2025)
Manhattan Theatre Club
Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, 261 West 47th Street, in Manhattan
For tickets, visit www.manhattantheatreclub.com
Running time: one hour and 40 minutes with no intermission