Review: Edge Of the Universe Theater's A NUMBER

Plays centering on family dynamics and relationships often contain a large cast, with plenty of back-and-forth drama between siblings, but Caryl Churchill’s A Number focuses on the strained relationship between a father and his son, with a surprisingly sci-fi twist. Churchill explores hot topics in her plays, and A Number examines the ethics of cloning and the concept of environment versus genetics. Edge of the Universe Theater, in association with Avant Bard Theatre, turns up the family drama in an intimate, edgy production of A Number, directed by Stephen Jarrett, starring a real-life father and son. 

Set in the distant future, David Bryan Jackson plays a father who has kept a secret from his son, played by Max Jackson. It turns out that the father has more than one son (about eighteen in total, but there could be more), and they all are clones of his first son. Things only get more complicated when the first son turns out to be alive and the two sons meet each other. Max plays three sons within the production: the first son, the second son, and the third son, who visits the father at the play’s end.

The play is a constant tug-of-war with words played between father and sons. David and Max make Churchill’s rapid-fire dialogue shine. There is significant weight behind the words that they exchange. The audience never sees what the childhood of each son is like; it is only told second-hand by the father. The story only focuses on the present time and confines itself to the walls of the father’s kitchen. The set, designed by Simone Schneeberg, creates an intimate space which further heightens the tension between father and son(s). As the scenes progress, more information is revealed about how the clones came to be. Between scene transitions, an inquisitive and terse music score, composed by Steve Anotsca, helps the tension to keep its momentum. 

David’s portrayal of the father is captivating and complex. He truly captures the father’s emotional journey. At first, he appears to be a regular dad, who loves his son(s), but then the lies start coming and the toxic behavior creeps slowly to the surface. The audience witnesses his identity as a father unraveling, leaving nothing but a shell of a father who is wrapped in his own narcissism. 

As for Max, he switches between the different sons with ease, and creates distinctive personalities for each one. While his performances as the second and third son are solid, his portrayal of the first son, who dons a leather jacket and tough guy attitude, is extremely memorable, especially with his monologue about the dog.The first son is the opposite of the second son. He is aggressive towards his father and blames him for everything which is wrong with his life. The tension becomes quite palpable when Max is on stage as the second son.

It’s obvious that David and Max’s relationship as real-life father and son shapes the strength of their performances. This ultimately leads to the question of how the performance would be different if there wasn’t a real-life father and son on stage together. Would it be just as powerful of a play? Yes, it would possibly still be just as powerful, but it would lack a boost from an already established father-son dynamic.
 

If you enjoy plays centered around family dramas and explorations of ethics, then you do not want to miss Edge of the Universe Theater’s production of A Number.
 

Photo Caption & Credit: David Bryan Jackson as the father (seated) and Max Jackson (kneeling) as the second son in Edge of the Universe Theater’s production of A Number. Photo by DJ Corey Photography. 

Run Time: About 1 hour, no intermission

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