Dealing with science's demons
Lilian Anekwe takes a dramatic view of modern scientific controversy
Twenty-first century science: a minefield of social, religious and ethical issues. Can these thorny dilemmas really by tackled through the medium of drama, a famously arty-farty and blatantly unscientific discipline? The Londonbased Floodlit theatre company was set up five years ago to try and do exactly that, and its latest play The Gabriels makes a brave attempt to get to grips with the tensions caused by mixing homosexuality, IVF treatments and fundamentalist Christian values in a modern family.
According to the programme notes, the idea for The Gabriels came from "the desire to make a play exploring the morality of genetic science". This is the first time I've ever experienced science and theatre brought together in this way, and it's easy to understand why plays like The Gabriels are not attempted that often. The scientific, ethical and emotional debates surrounding stem cell research and IVF treatments are complicated and there is a need for more public awareness and better communication, but even a theatrical philistine like me can see why it's hard to translate these topics into good theatre.
But The Gabriels does do it, and does it well. It's a marvel how so many controversial issues surrounding science are shoe-horned into this production; with three storylines running in parallel to create a play that is one part family soap opera, one part futuristic dystopia and one part biblical re-telling. If there is a conventional `central' character then it's Bonnet, a lesbian fortysomething author of cult graphic novels and mother of two grown up children: Jude and Kylie, from a previous marriage. Bonnet also has a demanding young son Felix, a "most exuberant child" with Asperger's syndrome, who was conceived by her partner Jane via IVF and a little help from their friends Alan and his gay partner Jerry, a bacteriologist turned science journalist. Tensions arise when the whole family come together for the Easter weekend; a less than perfect time for Jude to bring his ultra-Christian new girlfriend to meet the parents and come out as a Catholic, or for Kylie to announce she's pregnant by a Palestinian freedom-fighter called Osama.
The drama then splits into three with a plot that's as complicated as the characters' family tree. The action in Bonnets latest graphic novel, describing a futuristic world where sex and conception are strictly controlled by `purity agents' who work for the strict Christian government, is played out using two-way mirrors and an impressive use of space in an absolutely tiny set. Meanwhile in the real world, Bonnet's cosy family dinner is ruined by a healthy rant (cheered on by me and my science communication buddies, as much as it's possible to cheer silently in a theatre) from Jerry against the way science is sensationalised by the press to feed public ignorance of the ways science can improve our lives. Sandwiched in between the action are dramatisation of scenes of pregnancies, affairs and immaculate conceptions from the Bible and the Koran.
Despite the pressure of sharing more than thirty roles between seven actors, the cast's performances are entertaining and accomplished, the roles are well-acted and the characters are surprisingly engaging and believable including the stylised performances of the comic book characters Talitha and Luke, the doomed teenage lovers hiding their forbidden relationship from purity agents and even Ginger, the slightly self-righteous but ultimately likeable bible-basher. No one's opinion about the social problems science creates is straightforward or predictable, and this is what makes the play more thought-provoking and challenging than I was expecting (and I think about these issues more often than your average person).
Apparently "many geneticists, ethicists, faith leaders and campaigners gave up their time to contribute to the process of making the play", and it shows in both the script and the direction. The different sides of the debates about to name just a few the dangers of a religious fundamentalist society, stem cell research, testing on embryos, abortion, same-sex baby making and genetic experimentation gone wrong are looked at from a head-tripping number of angles, but each side is dealt with fairly and maturely. Overall, The Gabriels is a bold and ambitious play which manages to carry the weight of all the meaty issues it addresses. But more than anything it's good fun and an old-fashioned, enjoyable night out at the theatre, with a well-written script and some excellent one-liners. I had no clue what to expect when I went in and wasn't entirely sure what I thought when I walked out, but I got the impression that was the point of the play. As well as shutting up doubting thomases like me who say there's no place for theatre in science, of course.
The Gabriels was performed at the Finborough Theatre, Earl's Court, London and was written by Van Badham and directed by Helen Eastman.
