Natural Selection Keeps It Real

Ever stop to think what exactly natural selection is?

Natural Selection is, quite simply, our ecosystem’s evolutionary coping mechanism. When things are working well, natural selection makes it even better; likewise, when things aren’t working right, natural selection fixes it.

Last Friday, The Second Story Repertory at the Redmond Town Center featured the opening night (your Hedonista was invited and attended with a media ticket) of its last play for Season 11: the Northwest Premiere of Eric Coble’s Natural Selection. Directed by Katjana Vadeboncoeur, this play claims to be a science fiction play, but it’s really more of a moral futuristic play. Set at an immoral theme park called WonderWorld with its Culture Fiesta pavilion that poaches and collects Native Americans (the way previous generations did with rare and unusual flora and fauna species, indigenous cultural items, and sacred artifacts), the six member cast – Patrick Allcorn, who plays Ernie Hardaway and Mr. Neiberding; Gerald M. Browning, who plays Henry Carson; Hannah Victoria Franklin, who plays Yolanda Pastiche, Penelope, and Ms. Fjeldstad; Dallas Milholland, who plays Suzie Carson (and who played Melody King in Bleacher Bums); Ryan Palomo, who plays Zhao Martinez, and one child, Ernie Musser, who plays Terrance Carson – really hit home how far out of tune we’ve become with the rhythms of the earth (and thus of course humanity). From addictive internet use (chats, IMs, photos – and yes, dear hedonists, even blogs) to a destroyed natural environment (resulting in unpredictable and deadly weather patterns and a generally inhospitable outdoor environment), to a loss of any true personal social skills (and no, “social media” do NOT count), this play acts as a possible explanation for what results when we as human beings get the world so out of whack.

The Navajo or Dine of the Southwestern United States have two major ceremonial song complexes: the Blessing Way (concerned with creation, harmony, and peace) and the Enemy Way (concerned with destruction, chaos, and war). While the former is welcomed and cleansing, the latter is avoided and deals with the negative inharmonious spirit energies of those who have died without peace and balance. This play represents the world’s Enemy Way in the hopes of finding its Blessing Way.

When you think about all the Enemy Ways of our existence – species extinction, genocide, terrorism, climate change, global warming, and both human-made and natural disasters – perhaps the earth, higher power, or whatever faith you adhere to that controls the proverbial puppet strings is simply conducting its own large-scale Enemy Way in order to get back to the Blessing Way.

(By the way – hedonists always seek the Blessing Way and so avoid extreme behaviors that lead to the Enemy Way.)

The take away from this play: balance is key; without it, chaos ensues in order to restore balance.

This play even has a happy ending, believe it or not.

Natural Selection runs June 4th-26th, 2010, with Sunday matinée June 13th and 20th (with a post-play discussion to take place on June 20th). Tickets are just $25 each ($19 if a student or a senior).

Also worth noting: Second Story Repertory also has Season 12 on the horizon, which begins August 27, 2010 and ends June 25, 2011. Tickets – depending on the play – run from $19-$21 for students and seniors (or $108 for season tickets) to regular tickets ranging from $25-$27 (or $134 for season tickets). “Mainstage 4-packs” – which give you 4 tickets to use any way you choose – are also available for $84. A total of six plays make up this season and take place Friday and Saturday nights with select Sunday performances:

• Dinner with Friends (August 27-September 18, 2010)
• The Turn of the Screw (October 1-23, 2010)
• Of Kings and Cabbages and Crimson Crabs: Holiday Stories from Around the World (November 26-December 19, 2010)
• The Suicide (February 4-26, 2011)
• The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (April 1-30, 2011)
• Humble Boy (June 3-25, 2011)

So get out and see a play (or two, or three, or 7) where the invocation of real thought is where it’s at.

Keep it real, dear hedonists.

Keep it real.

Note: In order to comply with FTC Act 16 C.F.R. 255, Heed the Hedonist would like to disclose that it does receive media “comps” and/or media discounts – but not in exchange for favorable coverage, or for withholding unfavorable coverage, of the given venue/meal/performance/product/service.