Eureka Day by Jonathan Spector. Directed by Anna D. Shapiro. Scenic design by Todd Rosenthal. Costume design by Clint Ramos. Lighting design by Jen Schriever. Original music and sound design by Rob Milburn and Michael Bodeen. Projection design by David Bengali. Intimacy and sensitivity coordinator Ann C. James. Vocal coach Gigi Buffington.
Cast: Amber Gray, Jessica Hecht, Bill Irwin, Thomas Middleditch, Chelsea Yakura-Kurtz, and Eboni Flowers.
Theater: Samuel J. Friedman Theatre
Tickets: ManhattanTheatreClub.com

Bill Irwin and Jessica Hecht Photo by Jeremy Daniel

Originally produced in 2018, the play seems at first to be a very funny dig at the ways in which its liberal/progressive characters fall over themselves to put on a display of their bona fides as they serve on the governing board of a private-but-assertively-inclusive school in Berkeley, California. The title refers both to the name of the school, and to the "eureka" moment when they find themselves mired in a place from which the quest for common ground no longer provides the means to extricate themselves.

Eureka Day mostly takes place in the neat-and-shiny school library (attractively and colorfully designed by Todd Rosenthal). The large "social justice" book collection is clearly marked as such, and signs touting values like "equality, diversity, and inclusivity" hang on the walls.

As the play begins, we are invited to peek in during a meeting of the five-member board. A lengthy discussion has been taking place over a request by a parent to make an addition to the already-lengthy menu of identifiers from which potential families can select as they apply for admission (e.g. "African-American or Black," "First Nations comma Indigenous and Aboriginal comma Native American Heritage"). There are ten options, plus "Other," from which to choose. However, the question before the group is whether or not to add the category of "Transracial Adoptee." The earnestness with which the governors debate the issue tells you quite a bit about the dryly comic tone and satirical bent of the play.

In this instance, and after a lot of back-and-forth, the team manages to make a decision. But later on, when an outbreak of mumps rears its ugly head, the board is forced to make what may be a life-and-death determination, whether or not to require the same sorts of vaccinations of its students that are generally required of public school attendees. How do you honor both pro-vaxxers and anti-vaxxers when dealing with a highly contagious and potentially deadly disease?

The Cast Photo by Jeremy Daniel

They are Suzanne (splendidly portrayed by Jessica Hecht, who excels at peeling back the layers of her character's personal biases that lie beneath her hard-core social justice positions) and Carina (a terrific Amber Gray, who plays her cards close to her chest). Carina is a newcomer to the school community and the only Black member on the board; her broader background and experiences actually bring in the kind of diverse perspective the others lay claim to. These two, along with Don and the other board members, Eli (Thomas Middleditch) and Meiko (Chelsea Yakura-Kurtz), must wrestle with the vaccination issue, over which a large contingent of families, whose tuition keeps the school afloat, threatens to withdraw their children.

Director Anna D. Shapiro, who knows her way around the mixture of satire and seriousness (she helmed such gems as Tracy Letts's August: Osage County and The Minutes), does nicely with the difficult task of keeping things in balance between the comic and the sobering. Jen Schriever's lighting design and the many changes of casual-chic outfits designed by Clint Ramos do a great job of indicating the passage of time between meetings of the group, and David Bengali's projections of the community's on-line discussion are a priceless addition. (I love that we are invited to read these as they flash on screen while Don and some of the other board members are still talking/panicking).

Even though the play was written and takes place prior to the COVID pandemic, the audience is sure to make that connection with the vaccination debate. And while satire may have a short shelf life, the current kerfuffle over polio vaccinations that involves members of the incoming U.S. president's inner circle gives a sense of immediacy to Eureka Day. And just like that, a play that dances among the eccentricities of a handful of individuals living within a political bubble becomes a more consequential debate about the health system in this country. And that's as today as you can get.