There are precisely two complex ideas in Peter Sinn Nachtreib’s boom! — now at Jobsite Theater — and once we’ve fully understood each, there’s very little to hold our attention. Idea number one is that the earth is about to be hit by a comet (thus the title), and the regeneration of the human race will depend upon the gay man and baby-hating woman on the stage in front of us. Idea number two is that the duet we are witnessing is a kind of museum exhibit, more or less stage-managed by a third character who stands on a walkway above the action, plays a drum to affect the actors, and at times addresses the audience directly. Each of these concepts is rich enough to develop into an evening of wild theater, but
This article appears in Mar 10-16, 2010.