FLIGHT RISK
Written by Dakota Silvey and Directed by Dougie Robbins
The Gene Frankel Theatre at 24 Bond Street, NYC
March 6th to March 10th
Grace Sallee and Conor Andrew Hall
“Can a lifetime of good make up for a moment of bad?”
I don’t know. But a few folks will need to atone for tonight’s production.
Dakota Silvey won a one-act festival with his original script, and I feel his expansion needs more thought and research. My mind started to wander wondering if I was missing some vital information – is this meant to be absurdist? Is there a conceit I’ve missed completely?
How much is the audience expected to believe?
Three people (the only 3 on the plane) walk away from a plane crash. A crash that breaks off the tail and scatters the wreckage. There’s a sprained ankle, but the Alaskan wilderness midwife does not so much as chip her expensive French manicure – her braid – still neat as a pin.
The pilot crashed, not because of the horrible storm, but because he’s been accidentally shot with a hollow point bullet. There is fear he will bleed out before help can reach them. But he seems to feel better in the 2nd act, and gets up, crosses the stage, does a monologue sitting on a rock, and has a few drinks.
Did I mention the near crash causing storm has stopped by the time the plane crashes?
The Alaskans say even though it’s summer there will be near freezing temperatures overnight, but coats are taken off, shoes are off, they don’t build a fire. No fear of hypothermia here!
One of the biggest plot points centers around two women giving birth under general anesthesia. This really piqued my interest – general anesthesia is used in roughly 6% of Cesarean births. C-sections make up just less than ⅓ of births annually in the US. Alaska has a low birth rate - 9361 in 2023, meaning maybe general anesthesia was used 174 times that year. So twice - in one night - with one midwife - forget that midwives don’t perform c-sections or administer general anesthesia . . .
Perhaps this departure from reality explains the actors' complete lack of sensory work on their surroundings and situation? Had they just given up? I am honestly shocked to see a student from the Actors Studio Drama School give no thought to their physical conditions. Not a bump, not a bruise, not cold, not tired, not hungry - did I mention the bottle of Evian survived the crash – so fair enough on not being thirsty. With the exception of the pilot who was near death before intermission, no one gave a toss about their conditions unless they had to deliver a line about them.
As the play dragged on, I tried to explain all of the bits and pieces that weren’t making sense. Maybe at the end we find out they all died on impact? Maybe one of them is in a coma and this is their fever dream? Nope.
The play starts with a plane crash. And unfortunately, there are survivors.
Reviewed by Nicole Jesson.
Published by Theatre Beyond Broadway on March 7th, 2024. All rights reserved.