The Children

by Lucy Kirkwood

A new play from the award-winning writer of Chimerica , exploring the responsibility we have to future generations.

Genres: Plays, Theatre, Drama, British Literature, Modern, Fiction, Read For School

79 pages, Paperback

First published November 17, 2016

About the author

British playwright and screenwriter.

Reviews

[Doug · Rating 5 out of 5]

Update: 2/13/21: It seems like Kirkwood can do it all, from grand large scale epics like Chimerica, to this three hander chamber piece, strongly reminiscent of Strindberg's The Dance of Death.

How does one follow a multi-award-winning three-hour epic on US/China relations ('Chimerica')? If you are the brilliant 32 year old Ms. Kirkwood, surely one of the most accomplished contemporary playwrights, you compose a deceptively simple three-hander which examines how baby boomer privilege fares in the face of apocalyptic uncertainty. Currently playing its premiere production at the Royal Court, the play offers a wealth of dramatic and comic opportunities for its 65+ age cast. Bizarrely, the same day I read this, reports surfaced that radiation from the Fukushima nuclear disaster (which apparently was the inspiration for this play), had reached the US shores! Kirkwood's play also owes obvious debt to many of Ibsen's issue plays, as well as perhaps Strindberg's 'Dance of Death', and is just as thought-provoking. Also see: https://www.theguardian.com/stage/201....

[emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

A 4.5 rating would be more accurate - for it's definitely more than a 4 but somehow a slightly nervous/unsure full 5-star-rating. The cover of the play/book is pretty misleading though - there's no such scene in the play.

The whole play starts and ends in Robin and Hazel's house. It starts off a little slow but it quickly gets interesting once Robin enters the house - which is when everything starts to 'make sense'.

Really enjoyed this one, and I'm excited to read more of Kirkwood's work. Would have loved seeing this played out in a theatre, but a shame I never did get to.

Also, the thematic significance of the play is rather relevant to today's global crisis methinks.

[Meri Monfort · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,6
conta la història de Rose i Hazel, que eren dos científiques que treballaven per a la planta nuclear. Hi ha un desastre rollo chernobil i una enorme wave arrassa en tot, declarant-se la zona lloc d'infecció. Parlen del pas del temps i del legat, de com cuidar-se amb els anys. Després arriba Robin (l'home de Hazel) i descobrim que està liat també en la Rose.

Rose resulta que està ahi per a reclutar-los i emportar-se'ls a la planta nuclear per a arreglar l'empastre que havien fet. S'obri un debat sobre les energies i les males accions del passat, sobre qui ha de resoldre eixos problemes. Sobre els joves que no tenen la culpa, però que han de pagar amb la seua pròpia vida els desastres passats i les decisions d'una societat més atrassada. Es planteja la possibilitat d'energies renovables, però no es porta endavant -és pràcticament un murmuri durant l'obra

reflexiona un poc sobre tot: sobre les relacions pares-fills, sobre les plantes nuclears i les catastrofes de part dels humans, sobre el pas del temps i com enfrontar-se a ell, sobre les coses que no podem tindre. I, sobre tot, sobre allò que encara estem a temps de fer en la nostra vida. Majors o menuts, però sobre tot aquells majors que consideren que ja està tot perdut, que ja no poden fer res més: l'obra posa de relleu la importància del triar què es vol fer, la importància de les opcions. I del no quedar-se quet front a una possible millora per al món, encara que supose un perill per a u mateix (parlen des de la perspectiva de Hazel, Robin i Rose que tenen més de 65 anys)

és molt interessant i m'ha agradat moltíssim l'estil de la kirkwood. resulta agradable, divertit i al mateix temps una crítica superba del nostre món actual

[Junie · Rating 4 out of 5]

everyone who told me to read lucy kirkwood was right

[emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brought back lots of good memories of seeing the stage production in London.

[Marisa Costa · Rating 3 out of 5]

2,5 🌟

[Tuti · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent and highly relevant. perfectly constructed three-hander about three retired nuclear scientists and the consequences of disaster.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three meaty roles for actors in their sixties; two of them women. A single location/set, which makes this show highly appealing to a theater with a smaller budget or facility. The trickiest tech aspects are: 1. a table just tilted enough that an apple rolls off it, and 2. water creeping across the floor from a plumbing mishap. Community theaters tend to omit accents when possible, but it might be difficult in this case, because one of the characters moved to America for some time, and the characters remark about American words/phrases that have sneaked into her speech patterns.

This is a character driven play, which tackles issues familiar to folks in that stage of their lives: Grown children gone amok, past relationships, consequences of long ago actions, mortality, and the ethical quandary of "What do we owe others?" It's not heavy-handed in addressing these questions, and the characters come across as genuine and flawed. It's a show guaranteed to provoke audience discussion long after they leave the theatre.

[Harry McDonald · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good example of a text being elevated by great performances; Kirkwood writes brilliant dialogue and great character, and her craft is impeccable, but nothing particularly groundbreaking or stunning about this one.

A solid piece of work on its own terms.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘And I thought, that woman holds up the world’.

A concise, atmospheric little play about the grandest problems we face as a species.

[Yasmin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. My favourite play I have read to date. The simplicity of one scene, the three characters full of individuated personality, the funny dialogue, and the backdrop of a devastating environmental catastrophe make for an absolutely awesome read.

[Madsandmaz · Rating 3 out of 5]

quite moving, funny at times

[Ash Larizza]

a conversation between 3 people that couldn’t have last more than an hour and only takes place in one room, but at the same time says so much

[Henry Fosdike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exactly the sort of play I enjoy - a pacey triple header which slowly untangles the lives of the characters involved and just how they relate to one another. There's nothing truly groundbreaking about The Children but it's an accomplished piece and a solid piece of writing. Very enjoyable.

[Patrick Neylan · Rating 5 out of 5]

As ever, Lucy Kirkwood's shimmering, hilarious dialogue turns what might have been a horribly worthy play into a fun night out. The messages are still there, but this is a night of entertainment. Kirkwood really is very good indeed.

[Jason · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have to say this one did nothing for me. I liked the initial conceit of the play, but that was about it. There wasn't enough information about the characters, so the dialogue felt unrealistic, and over all the whole thing didn't really work.

[lilyyb.3 · Rating 5 out of 5]

yeah i’m in this
i play hazel
i love it a lot

[Sasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually really liked this play; it’s definitely one of the better ones I’ve read.

The whole thing feels very natural, not really staged and false. I think this is largely due to the way Kirkwood has written it. Most of the play is dialogue but it is very much written as a natural conversation - there are little interruptions that you get when over at someone’s house like being asked if you want tea, the speakers go off on a tangent sometimes, people go to the loo, the phone rings etc. This all feels wholly realistic to me and I didn’t feel the need for lots of stage directions. The conversation flowed nicely without being bogged down by all that.

There are only three characters in the entire play and one setting so it can seem slow to start at first as you’re wondering where this conversation between old friends is going. This does make it intriguing though because there are clearly things that are being avoided and I wanted to know what these were. Robin’s arrival definitely starts to move the play along from the polite chat to the real story of the friends and their reunion.

The characters didn’t really read as though in their sixties to me. Although I knew their age, my mind kept conjuring up younger people perhaps in their 40s. Maybe this was because the dialogue read young to me, I don’t know. They did keep referring to ‘the children’ despite them being fully grown and whilst they’re obviously still Robin and Hazel’s children, I couldn’t disassociate the words with small children like the one on the front cover.

The idea of a group of elderly people sacrificing themselves so that younger people can live full and happy lives is inherently sad. This isn’t revealed until quite late in the play and after hearing about them wanting to make the most of the time they have left, it is both heartbreaking and noble. The play evokes pity, most notably for Hazel whom I feel has always been second best to Rose and known it. I think she just wanted to live out the remainder of her life with the husband she is so desperately in love with and now even that is being taken away from her. It is a sad play but with happy and comical moments. I highly recommend reading it.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this play and then saw it performed at the Gamm Theatre. My companion as well as the person behind me fell asleep during the performance. From my "read" I had not noticed how static the one-room set was and how that might contribute to playgoer exhaustion, but it did. The dialog is witty, though it's certainly a "talky" play, but a moment of truth occurs in the blink of an eye when Rose delivers her "ask" to Robin and Hazel. And that's really all there is to the play. Hazel's response is more understandable than Robin's; it is not completely clear to me why he is so eager (other than his deteriorating health) to acquiesce to Rose's request. On to Kirkwood's Chimerica....

[milo ✪ · Rating 4 out of 5]

las citas que me he anotado porque mi ebook free reader no me deja subrayar:
"It just makes my life easier. Not wanting it, in the first place." Girl I wish-

also, to rule as "Necrophiliac" the act of a young woman kissing an old man... pelleta.

"My God, aren't you sick of thinking about your fucking body all the time? It's just meat, it's rented meat who gives a shit." Girl I wish p.2

"Are you familiar with the definition of madness as doing the same thing over and over and expecting the result to be different?"

Y por último: "I don't know how to want less."

Son todo bromas y dialoguillos pero acabas medio deprimido.

[Jim Stiles · Rating 5 out of 5]

I ordered this because the theatre I am on the Board of was doing it and I had a sense this was one I wanted to read first. I am glad I did - there is so much in this three character text. Mirkwood has written other powerful places but this is a real tour-de-force when you have strong actors. Sadly for the wonderful Boston actors who brought this to a brilliant performance at Speakeasy their run was cut in half by the pandemic and the closing of the Boston theatres. The performance lives in memory , but the text fortunately can be relived time and again.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

This will be a working document for the next six weeks or so as I learn the role of Robin. He's one of three nuclesr engineers in the play which takes place after an accident at a reactor somehwere in Bitain (clearly Suffolk). The trio are faced with a huge moral dilemma but there's quite a bit of humour in amonst the drama. Robin is is wittily sardonic and uses humour as a defence against what is happening too him both publicaly and privately. It's going to be a bit of a challenge as its a 90 minute three hander - therefore lots to learn. Rehearsals just about to begin - eek!

[Anna Kravchuk · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do think that exploiting the theme of a power plant gone wrong is way too banal and easy. Like using a dying dog to provoke tears, that sort of thing. That said, the play is written beautifully, it makes you feel, it poses questions, offers thoughts but doesn't take the "agree with my omnipotent righteousness or be ashamed of yourself forever" role. Despite the theme, the play manages to stay delicate, strong but almost fragile.

[Yvette · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Lot To Think About

I saw this play recently and wanted to go back and read it . Because the characters talk over each other and stammer a lot, I wanted to understand what I’d missed.

I really like the surprises, the ideas, and the moral dilemmas the characters are grappling with. A bit of English history/mythology creates a supernatural backdrop for a very relevant conversation about current events.

[leah hohauser · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lucy Kirkwood is a fucking genius.

Always killing it with the complex characters and the never knowing where tf it’s gonna go. While also tackling the topic of the deterioration of our world/environment in a way that blames the system, not individual people. People within a fucked up system having fucked up HUMAN emotions and relationships. Who you can be honest with and the strangeness of life and how it all pans out. Beautiful ending.

Also beautiful motifs and dichotomies with the water

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This play is brilliant; a heartbreaking, non-melodramatic moral choice to end all choices; and a wonderful depiction of realized, alive senior characters.

When do we stop being responsible for our children and the world we've made for them? When is enough enough?

Gutsy, with twinkles of fun amid the darkness.

[Jelena · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short play written in response to the Fukushima nuclear disaster, The Children grapples with the ethical implications of personal and social responsibility in risking lives to clean up a crisis. I found it to be an interesting take on death and aging, and a good read if you are interested in environmentalism, contemporary feminist theatre, and moral ambiguity.

[Mindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

s Just saw the play last week in the Berkshires, then read the full text. So well-written, poignant, tragi-comic, not a diatribe or a sermon (and I gave lots of those over the years!), but a portrait of human selfishness and selflessness, and human strengths and weaknesses. Read it and see the play if you can!

[kaiah❣️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

very good very big fan. i love the dynamics of this play, the hazel and rose one the most, and the subtle revelations it embarks on that would shock an audience but not the characters! i loved how much was unsaid because it felt true to the dynamic of people who, for better or for worse, know each other deeply and prolonged. wonderful.

[Jer Lesperance · Rating 3 out of 5]

Saw the play at the Belfrey Theatre. Interesting concept, i like how the characters’ names contrast with the topics addressed in the play but it got to the point where i was like k i want to go home now can we wrap this up. Good.