Doomsday Review (10/2/08)

Think the United States’ financial institutions and mortgage meltdowns of the last few weeks are bad? What if the world as you knew it was imploding around you with riots, destruction, fires, and violence? How would you survive or make sense of it? Could you stay positive and find hope?

First Light Players’ fine presentation of “Doomsday" features moving acting and intelligent writing to focus on how people face personal and societal apocalypse, finding faith in a better tomorrow.Frank (Greg Beastrom), owner of a downtown bar, and his employee Gigi (Trista Robinson) late one night find themselves inundated with people fleeing riots, fires, loss of power, and violence enflaming their city. Each has suffered tragic loss and searches for answers about how to move on. Can they help each other survive the night and their neuroses as well?Writer Beastrom keeps the dialogue extremely realistic with heated and coarse language. His story reveals its spiritual message in an understated, natural way.Director Cathy Holbrook makes fine use of the facility’s lack of backstage space by running the action down the center aisle, bringing a dynamic and realistic aspect to the piece. She draws fine work from the production staff, whose down-to-earth bar is spot on.A thoughtful, visceral story about what it means to spread love and forgiveness to yourself and others, “Doomsday” reveals that one can find hope in tragic circumstances by helping others and keeping the faith.