Review: Down To Chance (Pleasance Theatre)

Review by Sam Waite

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Truth can be stranger than fiction and, in the theatre, it can be every bit as compelling. Playing at London’s Pleasance Theatre, Ellie Jay Cooper’s Down to Chance tackles the story of Genie Chance, a radio journalist whose urgency in ensuring the real news made its way to the people of Alaska proved invaluable in the aftermath of an earthquake striking her home-state in 1964.

We meet Genie, seemingly a “plucky” archetype of underestimated women journalists, as she tries in vain to get a story off the ground – protests of a new department store are taking place across the Anchorage community, but her coverage is shot down in favour of cheerier fare. When her boss is away for the Easter weekend, Genie leaves her husband and children at home while she does everything in her power to keep the people of Alaska informed on the event, aftermath, and relief efforts, aided only by a teenage intern and his choirmate.

The cast of two, Ellie Jay Cooper and Robert Merriam, move through a seemingly endless number of characters, most often returning to Genie and intern Dom. Both are able to nimbly alter their performances to fit each part, accents broadening and softening as called for and a handful of costumes pieces giving additional context. Despite the dire circumstances explored, these changes are used for frequent comedic effect, with a particular moment drawing laughter from both actors attempting to take on the same part. Though the introduction of this device could have been smoother, with the opening finding Merriam rotating rapidly through roles to demonstrate, the added layer of comedy is welcome as the story takes on a darker edge.

Cooper’s script is particularly adept in its handing of Genie Chance as a character, allowing the “plucky” young woman to unfurl before the audience’s eyes into someone sharp, determined, even calculating at times. Likewise, her portrayal of Genie deepens as the story progresses, never losing that sense of urgency but revealing a real sense of duty beneath it, and a conflict between what people deserve to know and what they need to be told. Among her other characters, she is particularly strong as Kathleen, Dom’s choirmate who is hysterical in her efforts to keep the radio broadcast entertaining between Genie’s essential updates.

Dom himself is hilarious during these difficult scenes, Robert Merriam getting across that specific energy of an awkward, unqualified young man who is all but forcing himself into an important task. Merriam’s work here is nicely contrasted with one of his other most-frequent characters, the general whose presence in Anchorage moves quickly from a visit to local festivities to commandeering the relief efforts. In these two characters alone, Merriam shows a great deal of range, and his array of other roles further prove his seemingly boundless capabilities.

Caleb Barron, Down To Chance’s director and the co-founder of production house Maybe You Like It, does a fine job with all these moving parts – that is, a handful of props and an endless rotation of characters. In spite of the slightly stilted quality of those first few changes of character, the remainder of the show plays out smoothly, and Barron manages to infuse a sense of comedy throughout the increasingly dire circumstances. Cooper’s script allows for comedic levity and dramatic tension to alternate throughout the 70 minute runtime, and Barron proves a firm hand in guiding which should be the dominating force in any given moment.

A retelling not only of the events of the ’64 earthquake, but of what it proved to the world about Genie Chance as a person and as a journalist, Down To Chance also acts as a reminder of the power that big stories can continue to have on smaller stages. The Pleasance feels like a fitting home for this play, allowing it the room it needs to breathe and for the characters to maintain a sense of motion, while maintaining the intimacy of a singular town brought together through the actions of a single reporter. Genie Chance put her sense of duty above all else, and Down To Chance does her legacy proud.

Down To Chance plays at the Pleasance Theatre until May 9^th

For tickets and information visit https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/down-chance