4th – 7th March 3026
Once again, The Arden Theatre goes out on a limb and gives us something that we’re not expecting! Few community theatres have the resources: theatre space, technical expertise, a pool of talented, experienced actors, (and frankly, just plain chutzpah!) to present a play so unusual and emotionally gripping as “Mr Burns: A Post-Electric Play”.
Imagine the scenario: set some time in the unidentified future, immediately following a worldwide catastrophe, every nuclear power station in the country has imploded. There is no food, water, no heat, no light, and no electricity!
A group of people manage to find each other and gather in a wood. What to do? How to make the time pass? They decide to reconstruct an episode of the iconic TV show – “The Simpsons”. Don’t worry if you’re not a Simpsons devotee – I’ve never seen a single episode of “The Simpsons”, but the searing emotions of the group members were heart-stopping! Imagine each member has a notebook in which they’ve written down the names of family members and loved ones that are unaccounted for. A stranger shows up who’s not from their area; what news does he have? Painfully, they go through their lists, desperately hoping that he has news of someone they used to love.
With the scene set, the drama continues into the second act (seven years later). The group is putting together a dramatisation of the Simpsons episode to present at a community theatre performance. (It’s good to see that, when all else is lost, Community Theatre survives!)
The play continues, through taut interchanges with other characters, evolving into a sung third act – really well-performed by all the cast.
– Elizabeth Bergstone
