Elizabeth Hawthorne, seen here as Ngaire Munroe in Outrageous Fortune, plays a scientist seeking redemption through cleaning up the mess her generation has left behind in The Children.
A recent play from acclaimed British writer Lucy Kirkwood throws up a provocative and poignant vision of the baby boomer generation's toxic legacy.
The political and the personal are seamlessly melded as a trio of retired nuclear scientists face the aftermath of a catastrophic meltdown of a nuclear power-plant which
has devastated a remote seaside community.
The young playwright brutally exposes the frailties of this elderly group of high achievers who are forced to recognise that their lives, which were built on youthful enthusiasm and good intentions, have dissipated into an incoherent tangle of self-indulgence and careless hedonism.
A taut dramatic structure provides abundant opportunities for the superb cast who bring engaging naturalness to the conversational battles which rapidly escalate into a maelstrom of venomous belligerence, fuelled by sexual jealousies and copious consumption of home-made parsnip wine.
Carmel McGlone brilliantly captures the disintegration of a devoted wife and mother whose impressive practical skills are undermined by the emotional turmoil which has her constantly teetering on the brink of a nervous breakdown.
