A post-apocalyptic play doesn’t sound like a fun night at the theatre but The Children is an intelligent production with a witty script that interjects comedic moments into the drama.

The play opens to a domestic setting, an isolated cottage off the coast of England. It belies that the town is actually the home of a nuclear disaster that has devastated the area. Living just outside the exclusion zone, former nuclear scientists husband and wife Hazel and Robin are living a quiet existence until an unexpected visitor from their past forces them to awaken to their responsibilities.

Lucy Kirkwood wrote The Children in 2016. The British playwright was inspired by the 2011 Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster, along with the selfless actions of the retired senior workers who volunteered to replace the younger workers. A timely piece of theatre as we enter the nuclear debate.

Directed by Madeleine Withington, The Children raises profound questions and looks at the legacy one generation leaves to another.

Playing characters in their mid-sixties, the three-character, one act play stars Helen O’Connor (Rose), Mark Langham (Robin) and Alison Chambers (Hazel). Each delivering strong, believable acting performances.

The couple have not seen their ex-colleague Rose in decades, or so we are led to believe. Over the two hours, there is an enmity and undercurrent of hostility, especially between Hazel and Rose. The corrosive reunion stirs up old emotions, Hazel making pointed jabs at Rose being childless, asking who has more to live for or shoulders the responsibility for the future, those with children or those without? The tense exchanges between Hazel and Rose accentuate the differences between the two characters that go far beyond one being a mother and the other childless.

The script delivers, reminding the audience of the effects of the environmental disaster, noting supplies are limited, electricity is rationed and that they live under the threat of radiation pollution, however I would have liked to see the set design incorporating signs of the nuclear fallout.

The Children is an engrossing multi-layered contemporary play that explores moral lessons, social responsibility and altruism. Kirkwood has written a courageous play that encourages noble actions for the future. 3.5 stars.

Suggested for mature audiences 15+

Playing at the Greek Theatre (Marrickville) until 17 August 2024. For more information visit Joining the Dots Theatre