By Marilyn Lester*** The new play at The Jerry Orbach Theater, Rishi Varma‘s, Sulfur Bottom, self-describes as a surreal eco-gothic drama. And why not? Surreal it is, an inheritor of the post World War II movement of theater of the absurd, which before that drew on surreal and experimental theater of the 
1920s and 30s—and so thus does the journey into existentialism continue. Sulfur Bottom will certainly make you think even as it engages attention and rolls on with fantasy-like wonderment.
Absurdist theater relies on the circumstance of its characters trapped in an incomprehensible world subject to forces they can’t control. Check. The generations of family bound by the circumstances of Sulfur Bottom are ultimately victims of environmental crises exacerbated by capitalism gone off the rails. True to absurdist form, the members of this family begin to suffer a lack of purpose amid failure to communicate, and thus, the finishing point is barely far from the starting point in the resolution of the dilemma. In this case the drama is played out in the living/dining area in a home at the beginning of an environmental decay that worsens over four decades. Yet, the issues being confronted are unchanging, ever the same.
Think of environmental realities such as the tragedies of Love Canal, the drinking water scandals in Indiana and Hinkley, California (the basis of the film, Erin Brokovitch). Sulfur Bottom wants you to know these examples are 
tips of the iceberg. There’s absurdity here, sure, but it’s used in the time-honored tradition of exposing harsh realities; in this case the voracious, greed-fueled assault of Mother Earth—Gaia. Now fasten your seatbelt for shifting scenarios, time-travel and what is most probably a trip to the Bardo.
Sulfur Bottom opens with a shaken Fran (Kendyl Davis) in a typical familial badinage with her father, Sir Cavin (Kevin Richard Best), who happens to be skinning the deer (Eric Easter) that Fran struck and killed with her car (there’s a thread of animal references throughout the play, but that connection is never made completely clear). Already Fran and Sir Cavin are arguing about leaving the house or staying. But as it will turn out, it’s Cavin’s anchoring belief that this in a home lived in by generations—more than just a house but a homestead. Enter Fran’s aunt and Cavin’s sister, Melissa (Joyah Dominique, a standout force of nature who 
brings brash vitality to the play). Naturally, Melissa has her own strong opinions about livability and quality of life, not to mention health issues (Fran’s mother has already died) versus emotional ties to the land and pride of ownership.
Scenes change rapidly and are not linear; time shifts over decades. Fran is married to Winter (Easter) with a sickly baby. Odd occurrences happen: a whale washes up and into the living room. The baby, Maeve (Feyisola Soetan) is a healthy adult. Cavin is dead. The baby might have been stolen. The “devil” enters the picture in the form of Copal (Isaiah Joseph), well-known to Cavin, but a shill for the industrialists who wish to build their factories on the pristine land the home sits on (with others). A contract, of Cavin giving up rights lured by promises of prosperity, is signed in blood. A candle is lit. A match is struck. There’s a catastrophic fire. In the final scene of Sulfur Bottom, all characters appear and the chaos is palpable. This is the Bardo—the non-time of reflection and revisitation. Each character “remembers” scenes just played. What does it all mean? 
What this scene adds up to is for audience members to figure out. But, per the intention of Varma, Sulfur Bottom is not meant to be depressing, but a goad, a cause for hope. The very last stage direction to this scene is: “The family eats, laughs, and cheers the night away. Until—”
Direction by Megumi Nakamura keeps the pace forward-moving. But Sulfur Bottom isn’t an easy piece of theater. It requires a defter hand at helping the audience understand the action. The cast uniformly performs with authenticity and commitment, with Dominique rising to the top as a beacon of storytelling through acting skills. Set Designer Daniel Prosky’s work is admirable given budget constraints and the fact that the stage is shared with other ongoing productions, necessitating striking and reconstituting the set after every performance. Lighting designer is Sam Weiser; sound designer is Sid Diamond; costume designer is Roger Teng and composer of original music is Jacob Brandt—all admirable practitioners of their respective crafts.
Sulfur Bottom plays Wednesdays at 7:30 PM and Saturdays at 1 PM through October 11 at The Jerry Orbach Theater, The Theater Center, 210 West 50th Street, New York, NY. Run time is 90 minutes without intermission. For tickets, click here or call (212) 921-7862.
Photos by Austin Pogrob
