Review: THE INVENTION OF LIGHTNING Haunts with a Cautionary Tale About the Dangers of Electronic Communication

Fly North Theatrical’s Colin Healy and Bradley Rohlf are staging the world premiere of their new play The Invention of Lighting at Greenfinch Theater and Dive Bar. Directed by Rohlf, The Invention of Lightning is set in a remote Western Union post in the Nevada desert at the dawn of the transcontinental telegraph and against the backdrop of the Civil War.

Two men, Horace McCall and Bill Naughton, isolated in the remote post, trade shifts to manage an electronic Morse code communication device. It falls upon their honesty, decency, humanity, and trust to accurately transmit electronic messages across the broad expanse.

Isolation and sleep deprivation plays tricks on the men’s psyches. The incoming messages from faceless and nameless people are relayed manually by the exhausted, mentally taxed, and secluded men.

Sound disturbingly familiar? Two centuries post the setting of Healy and Rohlf’s play, detached people stare mindlessly into handheld electronic devices. They crave the dopamine rush of positive reinforcement from a world of online users they will never meet. Faceless keyboard warriors spread lies, inaccurate information, and gossip. They bully others via social media. Artificially altered and generated pictures, images, and content are posted online and sent in direct messages.

Healy and Rohlf’s The Invention of Lightning is a social commentary on the threats of our electronic world. Their story of isolation and madness pokes at our vulnerabilities. We live in an age of distraction, instant gratification, disembodied connectedness, and artificial reality all derived from technology. An isolated world that is all-too-much like the alienated, confined, and lonely world of Bill Naughton and Horace McCall.

Bill Naughton, portrayed with youthful exuberance by the irrepressible Ryan Matthew Whaley, was the face of the failing Pony Express. The mail delivering boy wonder, now relegated to the remote Nevada desert, loses his grip on reality. He gives voice to and develops feelings for the dot-dot-dash communication device. (Think Joaquin Phoenix in the surreal romance HER.)

When she (the device) asks Bill to tell her a story, he spins fanciful yarns. His imagination soars and he creates memorable characters that are portrayed Michael Musgrave-Perkins who also plays Horace.

Musgrave-Perkins dives in, lets go of all reality, and throws himself without fear into Bill’s cognitive disintegrations. He becomes Bill’s story telling device and creates daffy, delightful, and memorable characterizations. His fin-slapping, barking seal is what fearless comedic acting looks like.

When Musgrave-Perkins’ is portraying Horace, he is a firm, in-control, disciplined Western Union agent on the surface, but the years of isolation have taken their toll. He falls susceptible to the psychological deterioration that stems from sensory and social deprivation. All is not well with Horace, and Musgrave-Perkins gives his character an edgy, unsettling volatility.

Rohlf inspires courageous and audacious performances from his immensely talented actors. Whaley and Musgrave-Perkins, who are not often seen on local professional stages, are brilliant casting finds. They are at the top of their craft in this production. The actors immediately command audience attention upon their entrances and captivate throughout with vivid evocative portrayals.

Rohlf’s artistic vision is brought to its fullest expression by the superior technical work of Leo Young (set design), Ryan Thorp (lighting design), Joel Stilwell (special effects), and Jen Blum-Tatara (costume design). Co-playwright Colin Healy’s masterful sound design and original score adds layers of depth to Rohlf’s storytelling.

The Invention of Lightning is magnetic and hypnotic. The dreamlike production values fuel Colin Healy and Bradley Rohlf’s original story with incandescent energy. Their cautionary tale about the emotional detachment and dehumanization brought on by electronic communication is both mesmerizing and haunting.

Fly North Theatrical’s world premiere of The Invention of Lightning continues at Greenfinch Theater and Dive Bar through November 1, 2026. Visit flynorth.org for more information.

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