With its high tech design and continent-crossing plot, Kirkwood’s Chimerica was one of the theatrical highlights of 2013. THE CHILDREN is far more intimate – a three-hander set in the kitchen of a cottage by the coast in the aftermath of a Fukushima-like disaster. But once again (and with an enormous dollop of humour) she’s tackling important issues– the legacy left behind by baby-boomers and whether it’s their responsibility to clear up the mess they created.
Deborah Findlay is excellent as retired nuclear scientist Hazel, clearly dubious about the motives of former friend and colleague Rose (an enigmatic Francesca Annis) who arrives unannounced after an absence of almost forty years. And Kirkwood’s message comes across loud and clear as Hazel’s loving but wayward husband (Ron Cook’s Robin, still making unwise excursions to the nearby exclusion zone to deal with their livestock) battles the encroaching spillage from a problematic loo armed only with a dustpan.
The Children
Royal Court Theatre, Sloane Square, SW1W 8AS
Tube: Sloane Square
Until 14 January 2017
£12.00 – £38.00 + £10 Monday day seats
