Ever thought to oneself, “Huh, I wish that I could see all the people from the last PTA meeting in a play.” Well, as long as one lives in the Bay Area, their wish has been granted. Eureka Day, by Bay Area and Tony-winning playwright Jonathan Spector, is currently running at Mill Valley’s Marin Theatre through Sept. 21.
Set in Berkeley at the private Eureka Day School, the story follows the school’s executive board of four parents and the principal with the “hella Bay” viewpoint that all decisions must be made by consensus. Suddenly, the community is hit with an outbreak of the mumps, which pits the MAHA moms against the science backers in an epic and sometimes hilarious showdown over who has the right to say how someone should parent.
This show originally premiered at the Aurora Theatre in Berkeley under the direction of Josh Costello, who also helms this co-production between Marin Theatre and the recently closed Aurora. Many of the original actors and designers have returned for this production. Design-wise, this show is a tribute to the artistry lost when theaters like Aurora close.
Richard Olmsted’s set, from color choices to the rounded finial designs on the proscenium, has numerous thoughtful details that lend authenticity to the story. Costumes by Maggie Whitaker could have easily been stolen from parents in a school drop-off line. Yet, somehow, the fully cohesive design remains distinctive to the characters.
The actors are well cast. Leotyne Mbelle-Mbong has a fantastic stage presence and is wholly grounded in her portrayal of pro-vaccine mom Carina. Howard Swain is over the top in the best way possible as Don, the positive-thinking principal. Charisse Loriaux has a quiet strength that suits the conflicted Meiko. And though Teddy Spencer’s techbro Eli lacked depth at times, he was at his best when situations got wacky.
Then there was Lisa Anne Porter’s staunchly anti-vaxxer Suzanne. It is a credit to Porter’s acting that Suzanne is where the play stopped being fun for me. From her smug wokeness to the unconscious profiling, it’s just too close to home to be funny, which is the play’s greatest weakness.
If we didn’t live here and if there wasn’t a vaccine maelstrom gathering, I could see the show being as hilarious as audiences in London and New York thought it was.
But right here, right now, some of it is too sadly true to be funny.
‘Eureka Day’ runs through Sept. 21 at Marin Theatre, 397 Miller Ave., Mill Valley. Weds–Sat, 7:30pm; Sat & Sun, 2pm. $15-$89. 415.388.5208. Recommended ages 14 & up. marintheatre.org.
