A Story of Grief and Self-Discovery by Radial Theatre Project
When Eurydice died Orpheus was so overcome by grief that he descended into the underworld to bring her back. He charmed Cerberus and Hades himself into letting his lover live again and only failed because of his own doubt. It’s this loss on which this play is based, a feeling so intense “all the rules are changed.” Zinnie Harris wrote the story of Robyn and Helen, two lovers who get marooned after a boating accident and are forced to confront their grief.
David Gassner, director of Meet Me at Dawn, first watched Harris’ play when it premiered at the Edinburgh International Festival in 2017 and has been trying to produce his own rendition ever since. In 2019, Gassner tried to bring the play to Seattle, and then again earlier this year but kept having to reschedule. Finally, Radial Theatre Project presents the West Coast Premiere of Meet Me at Dawn.
The play opens with the fourth wall broken, and a self-aware narrator, Robyn, who acknowledges they don’t know everything. Jennifer Faulkner portrays Robyn as an insightful woman who often worries too much but who is just trying to figure out her feelings as well as the unnatural situation she’s in. Faulkner shows grief, confusion and anger powerfully and stands out as a narrator through her clear dialogue and gentle emotions.
Faulkner’s counterpart, Jordi Montes, shows a humorous and sassy Helen who is honestly not worried enough about almost dying. She’s on top of the world, feeling invincible after the near miss, which clashes with Robyn’s downcast demeanor but balances the emotions and energy on stage. Unfortunately, this also means that they spend a lot of time annoyed at each other, which is undoubtedly realistic but makes for a less tender relationship than I would’ve liked. I wanted to feel like the characters were more in love so that even if I couldn’t connect with them personally, I could connect with their love and subsequent loss more intimately.
The script, although carrying kicker lines like “you live in the gothic novel, that is why you are so miserable”, and “the whole world smells like dying flowers”, wasn’t very smooth with the emotional journey of the characters. There was a lot of bickering and back-and-forth freakouts, which, again, were very realistic, but it made Helen’s and Robyn’s independent journeys a bit unclear. Still, the overall story was clear enough.
In terms of the setting, Robyn and Helen are marooned on a beach somewhere, so the stage has water reflecting on every wall and a large projection of the beach in the back. Sand and rocks decorate the rest of the stage. The location they’re at is both metaphorically and physically unclear and they find themselves stumped on where to go or what to do for the majority of the story. It would be nicer to have a better idea of where they are physically, so there’s a grounding element to an otherwise metaphorical story. That way, the audience would be able to focus on the more important elements and avoid unnecessary confusion from the setting.
Overall, it’s a very compelling story, with the potential of being powerful to those going through any kind of loss. It barely misses the mark of being an outstanding production. Be it the emotional journey, the staging or certain script choices, Meet Me at Dawn doesn’t seem to exploit its full potential. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a product that is very well put together and audience members around me seemed very touched all throughout. I would still recommend going to watch it and connecting with the strong themes and moments it carries. Nonetheless, there is room for improvement.
Meet Me at Dawn | 18th & Union, Seattle, WA | March 24 – April 8
Tickets: Radial Theater Project