Ellie Jay Cooper and Robert Merriam in Down to Chance [Caleb Barron]

DOWN TO CHANCE
Pleasance Theatre
☆☆☆☆

“Keep them calm, keep them listening” becomes Genie Chance’s mantra in Down To Chance, which tells the true story of her award-winning radio broadcast in the immediate aftermath of Alaska’s 1964 earthquake.

Overlooked as a serious journalist, Chance finds herself at the centre of the disaster, fighting to gain access to the Alaska Public Safety Building and update a terrified public.

It’s a dynamic two-hander as Ellie Jay Cooper and Robert Merriam glide between 20 roles with electric fluidity. Cooper’s tight script ensures a propulsive story: the frantic search for loved ones, the unpreparedness of city officials, the moral quandary of crisis reporting.

A love of radio radiates throughout. Caleb Barron’s clever staging utilises portable units and microphones to provide a live broadcast each night, and we meet radio hobbyists who help send distress signals and coordinate a US-wide response to the disaster.

Conflict arises between Chance and General Whittaker, tasked with leading the state response. Whittaker initially finds her presence a distraction – later, he seeks to hijack the broadcast.

When Chance is informed of a possible aftershock, she has to play God. Sharing this information could stir a mass evacuation, with cars tossed from the highway as the ground trembles.

It’s a compelling dilemma that could have been given more space in the drama.

Pockets of comedy are well-placed. The interns’ struggle to hold listeners’ attention at the station’s HQ, as Chance gathers information, is a highlight.

Down To Chance captures the golden age of radio with superbly controlled frenzy. The thundering applause it received is richly deserved.

Until May 9
pleasance.co.uk/