"boom" explodes with laughter

by Frank Furnari, New Rep Reviewer

Your years of researching the sleeping habits of fish leads you to believe that the world will encounter a cataclysmic event, a boom if you will, and after you fortify your underground lab, one of the last things you do before the big boom is place a Craigslist ad for a hookup. This is exactly what Jules does in boom the new production in the Downstage @ New Rep Black Box Theater. Jo is the unsuspecting undergrad who answers his ad and she comes on strong looking for a night of fun; however, things don’t go as planned. She (and the rest of the scientific community) don’t believe Jules’ data and analysis. Jo wonders if he is a psychopath (I believe this play was written before we had to worry about Craigslist killers). The audience soon realizes we are actually visitors to a sort of evolution museum, watching a recreation of events with a museum employee, Barbara, pulling the levers and occasionally offering her commentary.

boom offers some interesting (though not new) ideas on evolution and science. It brings to mind recent debates over evolution and the controversies surrounding them. The play offers many laughs throughout with many witty exchanges. It also includes a fair share of foul language, but not more than you’d find in, perhaps your typical Mamet play.

Bridget Kathleen O’Leary assembles and directs a strong cast. Scott Sweatt is great as Jules with the right nerdy scientist quality; you can sense he’s not good around people. Karen MacDonald steals the show with her portrayal of Barbara, the eccentric museum employee that really cares about the exhibit and has added many of her own embellishments. She’s fun to watch and you find yourself glancing over at her many times just to see what her reaction is to the action taking place on the other half of the set. Overall, boom is a solid production and a fun 90 minutes - make sure you see the final Downstage @ New Rep show of the season.