Nothing is taboo in Northampton Community Colleges Theatre Departments thought-provoking and at-times jarring production of Caryl Churchill's "Cloud 9" through March 7 at the Bethlehem Township college's Norman Roberts Lab Theatre.
The language is blunt and a bit shocking at times as the play takes a scathing look at British colonialism, sexual oppression and patriarchy through the conventions of time-shifting and gender-switching.
Act 1 is set in British colonial Africa in the Victorian era, and act 2 is set in a London park in 1979. However, only 25 years pass for the characters between the acts. Each actor plays one role in act 1 and a different role in act 2. The characters who appear in both acts are played by different actors in each act and some switch genders.
The thread that ties it all together is the character arc of Betty. In the first act, Betty is the repressed wife of the patriarchal colonial administrator Clive and played by a man. By the end of the second act, an older Betty, now played by a woman, has left Clive and discovers the joys of self-love.
Michael Sheridan skillfully plays Betty in the first act. His Betty is meek and he conveys her growing frustration of wanting to act on her desires and also be a "proper wife" to the domineering Clive.
In the second act, Sheridan plays Gerry, a gay man prone to quick sexual hook ups. As the selfish Gerry, he opens the second act with a very explicit monologue about an encounter on the train and expresses his desire for no commitments, but ultimately finds he does want more.
Griffin Boyle is uptight and self-satisfied as Clive who rules his family and the neighboring Africans with an iron first, while indulging in an affair with the widowed neighbor Mrs. Saunders. But when his friend Harry makes a pass, his latent homophobia comes to the surface.
In the second act, Boyle ably portrays Clives submissive gay adult son Edward, who is having an affair with Gerry.
Tamara Decker plays Edward as a sailor suit clad youth in the first act. Deckers Edward is lonely and needy with a penchant for playing with his sister Victorias doll. In the second act, Boyle plays the grown up Victorias equally needy lesbian lover Lin.
Megahan Lawler is well-cast as Bettys rigid mother Maude in the first act and as the more enlightened Betty in the seond act.
Andy Van Antwerp is all swagger as the sexually opportunistic Harry in the first act and hilarious as the energetic and spoiled five-year-old daughter of Lin in the second act.
Olivia Byrne who is good as Mrs. Saunders, as well as the childrens nanny in the first act, makes Victoria in the second act thoughtful and appealing.
Soundly rounding out the cast is Justin Ferguson as the enigmatic servant Joshua who has completely bought into colonialism until his family is killed by the British in the first act and as Victorias estranged husband Martin in the second act.
Director Clair M. Freeman has ably taken up the challenge of making a cohesive story out of all these parts and does a good job keeping things comprehensible.
Due to its themes, this show is recommended for mature audiences.
Performances will be 7:30 p.m. March 4, 5 and 7; and 2 p.m. March 6.
All members of the audience must wear masks.
Tickets are $5. Those with a valid NCC ID and a non-perishable food donation to NCC's Hope food pantry for students get free admission.
For information, go to ncctix.org, or call 484-484-3412.