"Death, birth, right on top of each other" – that's the overarching theme of Lauren Gunderson'sThe play profiles her virologist husband, Nathan Wolfe, portrayed by the Austin Playhouse's Ben Wolfe . Audiences follow Nathan through an extended compulsory monologue, in which he is forced by his wife's playwriting to tell the tale of his own grappling with mortality.
What's actually worth being afraid of? That question is posed by virologist Wolfe as he, in isolation, runs through a series of perspective-altering statistics about risk. His calculated paranoia combined with his inability to escape the narrative realm his wife placed him in emotionally resonate in a way that would perhaps have been less palpable pre-pandemic. The protagonist clearly relies upon his work – his ability to literally predict and prevent catastrophe – for his sanity.
It's also serendipitous that this play marks Austin Playhouse's return to live, in-person performances after a three-year COVID hiatus – a return to art made possible by science. The play grapples with the perceived mutual exclusivity of science and art, portrayed through the protagonist's relationship with his wife who takes him to plays when he's not busy hunting viruses.
After three years away from audiences, Austin Playhouse is nothing if not aware of the privilege of participation in live theatre, one held by performers and patrons alike.is undoubtedly worthwhile for anyone grateful for the science of viral forecasting, the art of playwriting, or a particularly fortuitous marriage of the two.
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