Fool's Paradise - Thrown Stone

Fool’s Paradise, receiving its world premiere at the Thrown Stone theater company, begins with an interesting premise.  Two couples, vacationing at an eco-friendly, all-inclusive resort in the Caribbean, are suddenly plunged into chaos when a nuclear disaster occurs on a nearby island.  Communication to the outside world becomes non-existent.  The extent of the catastrophe is unknown.  How do they handle their new reality?  For the most part, without that much of a sense of urgency.  That is my main issue with the show.  With the way playwright Jonathan Winn has set the stage, only one character, Lorraine (Dana Eskelson), the wife of the older couple, is at all horrified as she continually frets about the safety of her son on the mainland.  The other characters are more at ease with the upheaval in their lives.  Bill (Steven Hauck), Lorraine’s husband, and owner of the travel agency that booked the excursion, believes (maybe pretends) there’s not much to worry about.  Wendy (Julia Atwood), the young wife of Marc (Alan Hayhurst), who scrimped for a year to afford the trip, is levelheaded until a momentous announcement late in the show.  Marc, who has been out-of-work for over a year and wants to save the world – literally – pivots from contentment to naïve espousements.

 

As the play progresses, Winn has not introduced much drama among the foursome even though the fate of the world may be at hand.  They snorkel, play cards.  Towards the end of the play, there is a twist, but that only leads to marital discord and discussions of changes in domestic life.  There are too many incongruities in the plot and situation that keep popping up.  What is going on with the other guests and staff in the hotel where there still might be hundreds of people?  Is anarchy breaking out?  There is not a sense of danger until the abrupt conclusion.  Characters appear in hazmat suits.  Where did these garbs come from?  If there is radiation, wouldn’t their suits possibly irradiate the others upon their return to the hotel suite?  A birthday cake is whipped up by the pastry chef three weeks into the catastrophe.  Wouldn’t food start to be rationed?  The uncertainty of time is always at the fore, which makes it hard to follow the events that are unfolding. 

 

Director James Dean Palmer lets the action evolve at a steady, yet nondescript pace.  He incorporates characters in costumes – the aforementioned hazmat suits and snorkeling attire – to add diversion.  Sometimes characters, most notably Lorraine, speak away from the audience, making it hard to hear.

 

The cast is fine, but come across as more two-dimensional persons.  Their performances would have benefitted with more of a backstory or complexity they could latch on to. 

 

The set design by Marcelo Martinez Garcia is lavish and worthy of a well-heeled resort, but it is almost too large for the stage. 

 

Even with all the issues with the production, Fool’s Paradise does deserve more developmental work.  There is a show of substance lurking behind what is currently on the stage.

 

Fool’s Paradise runs through May 10 at Thrown Stone theater in Norwalk.  Click here for dates, times, and ticket information.