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In his role as Don, actor Ted deChatelet starts a meeting by ringing a bell. (Matthew Tippins\/Courtesy)<\/p>\nEverything is political \u2014 especially now. Religion, health, medicine, clothes, food, naturally opinions and, of course, elections.<\/p>\n
Nothing, it seems, is beyond political scrutiny as shown in the equal parts funny, serious and timely \u201cEureka Day,\u201d playing at Island City Stage through Sunday, Sept 13.\u00a0The Wilton Manors postage-sized theater \u2014 it seats about 69 \u2014 often tackles big themes. And that\u2019s certainly true in this play, which possibly becomes more relevant every day.<\/p>\n
The titular Eureka Day is an ultra-progressive California private school. Here, every voice matters, every opinion is to be respected, there is no right or wrong position. Diversity, equality, acceptance and inclusion are important. Those beliefs work quite well for this community until a case of mumps erupts, putting the public health in danger.<\/p>\n
Everyone wants to do the right thing in Jonathan Spector\u2019s 2018 play, which won the 2025 Tony Award for Best Revival. However, that lofty goal holds up only until personal beliefs collide with reality.<\/p>\n
The school\u2019s executive committee has a policy not to vote on anything, acting only if there is a consensus \u2014 an idea that might work only if there is no controversy. That policy collides with a county edict to allow only inoculated children to attend school during a mumps epidemic \u2014 a rule that grates on some parents.<\/p>\n
Spector\u2019s strong script receives strong staging from Andy Rogow, who is Island City\u2019s artistic director. Rogow\u2019s smooth hand keeps the comedy infused with the play\u2019s serious aspects. The humor and those anti-vaccine beliefs are challenged when a child is put in an induced coma.<\/p>\n
Rogow has assembled a solid cast, molded to his vision, to close out Island City\u2019s 14th season. \u201cEureka Day\u201d is an ensemble piece, but each character\u2019s personality and quirks emerge as the five-person committee meets.<\/p>\n
With his assortment of T-shirts, knee-length shorts and laid-back demeanor, Ted deChatelet is hardly the epitome of the head of school, Don, but that\u2019s the point. DeChatelet, an acting instructor at Florida Atlantic University, uses his halting speech to depict a person who\u2019s afraid of offending anyone. His irritating habit of starting each meeting with the ping of a bell reinforces his personality.<\/p>\n
Maribeth Graham depicts the overly woke Suzanne, whose whole life is wrapped up in keeping Eureka Day inclusive. She questions every suggestion, including the county\u2019s edict, believing nothing is as open-minded as she is. Graham nails the humor that naturally flows from Suzanne while revealing the prejudice she doesn\u2019t believe she has. Yet Graham, a four-time Carbonell Award winner, shows another side of Suzanne during a heart-wrenching speech.<\/p>\n
In his role as Don, actor Ted deChatelet starts a meeting by ringing a bell. (Matthew Tippins\/Courtesy)<\/p>\n
Rita Cole again shows her mettle as an incisive character actor who can do so much with a side glance, an eye roll or the tone of a single word. Her character, Carina, tries hard to keep her focus solely on her child, but it\u2019s hard with this crowd.<\/p>\n
As Meiko, Jen Chia channels her anger and frustration into furious knitting. You wonder what she is making aside from a place to displace her feelings. Chia makes the most of revealing the character\u2019s personal life and her feelings about doing the right thing.<\/p>\n
Brandon Campbell delivers the showy role of Eli, the \u201cfull-time father,\u201d as if dads who don\u2019t stay at home aren\u2019t full-time parents. Constantly in motion, Campbell shows Eli is a bundle of unresolved nerves, anxious over he and his wife\u2019s decision to open their marriage, about his wealth after having cashed out on his tech start up and over his child\u2019s health. His plan to resume an affair once the mumps crisis has passed shows how clueless Eli is.<\/p>\n
\u201cEureka Day\u201d unfolds through a series of committee meetings and one hilarious Zoom session with parents, or rather a \u201cCommunity Activated Conversation\u201d in which little gets done. Humor is layered over the serious, or attempts at serious, conversation.<\/p>\n
Michael McClain\u2019s colorful scenic design sets the tone of \u201cEureka Day,\u201d with its artfully arranged books, naturally color-coordinated, and a poster with diverse hands reaching toward each other and the saying \u201cAll stories matter.\u201d Everything in the room points to DEI.<\/p>\n
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Jen Chia plays Meiko, who channels her anger and frustration into furious knitting. (Matthew Tippins\/Courtesy)<\/p>\n
Kudos also go to Ana Marie Calise for all those props, David Hart for sound, W. Emil White for costumes, Ardean Landhuis for lighting. Carlos Jimenez for projections.<\/p>\n
While health concerns are at the center, \u201cEureka Day\u201d also touches on myriad woke ideologies gone amok, including a reimagined \u201cPeter Pan\u201d (send them into outer space!), vegan lunches (cashew lasagna), terms to define the diverse student body (transracial adoptee), disposable plates (oh no!).<\/p>\n
\u201cEureka Day\u201d has become widely produced across the country, mainly because it has a small cast, a set that can be bare bones or elaborate, and a timely script. Island City\u2019s production marks the second time in a few months that \u201cEureka Day\u201d has been performed in South Florida. GableStage mounted its version from May through June. GableStage\u2019s version, directed by Stuart Meltzer, featured a different cast, with only Rita Cole reprising the same role in both productions.<\/p>\n
\u201cEureka Day\u201d is set during the 2018-19 school year. There\u2019s a bit of a gasp when the executive committee says they anticipate \u201csmooth sailing\u201d during the 2019-20 school year. We know what happens then.<\/p>\n
\u201cEureka Day,\u201d presented by Island City Stage, runs through Sept. 13 at Island City Stage, 2304 N. Dixie Highway, Wilton Manors. Tickets are $45 to $62. For more information, visit islandcitystage.org<\/a> or call 954-928-9800.<\/p>\n