Nothing is ever a coincidence in ‘The Greatest Play in the History of the World’

How random are moments in our lives that we define as “coincidence?” Perhaps, not so much.

A basic premise of Ian Kershaw’s The Greatest Play in the History of the World is that fortunate moments present themselves under the guidance of time and space. And the potential for life-changing outcomes lies in our recognizing such opportunities and seizing them.

A joint production of the Inis Nua and Tiny Dynamite theater companies, The Greatest Play is a warm and endearing tale of love lost and rediscovered. Directed by Kathryn MacMilllan, it makes parallel use of male-female relationships and science-fantasy motifs — equal dollops of James Thurber and Ray Bradbury.

The story and all its characters are told entirely by one actor … and a litany of shoes. More on that later.

Set in a quaint British neighborhood and, more grandly, the universe itself, the play begins with 31-year-old Tom awakening to a world frozen in time. But through his bedroom window he spots one person — staring back from her window — 26-year-old Sarah, who lives across the street. Tom, who’s writing The Greatest Play in the History of the World, is obsessed with words, and Sarah is a traveler enamored of numbers. Both have lost at love and feel their lives ending.

We’re soon introduced to the Forshaws, their elderly neighbors — also named Tom and Sarah, also aged five years apart, and also feeling life has stopped. Mrs. Forshaw, in the last stages of life, recalls teaching her former students about Carl Sagan’s Golden Record, an audio-visual collection included in NASA’s 1977 Voyager launch, offering a taste of our world to aliens who might stumble upon it.

The denouement of the play asks what we would choose as a personal remembrance in that vastness of space.

Barrymore awardee Brett Ashley Robinson narrates the monologue, and projects an unmistakable charm, maintaining a brisk pace throughout the 80-minute evening, a challenge for any actor. Her empathy is unmistakable, sustained with a smile that virtually never leaves her face.

Kershaw’s narrator leans exclusively into tale-telling, not role-playing. As such, our experience is that a novella is being read to us.

As for the shoes, Kershaw uses them to represent each character, and Robinson uses them to build rapport through audience interaction, demonstrating admirable improvisational skills.

Shannon Zura’s set/light design is inspired. A backdrop suggesting a cozy cottage gives way to an enchanting series of lighting effects. These create a sense of mystical science and the two-way power of windows. Adiah D. Hicks’ sound design includes voiceovers about the Voyager journey, interrupting Robinson’s narration with compelling contrast: the expanse of space versus the intimacy and love we require.

Told with wry humor and eccentric details specific to both personalities and environment, the play moves toward an emotional conclusion. Can we capture those connections that may escape our awareness?

The current challenging environment for the arts shows the wisdom of the Inis Nua/Tiny Dynamite partnership. The commitment to bring recent plays from the United Kingdom here provides an opportunity for Philly audiences to see the human experience through distant yet familiar cultures. As warm holiday entertainment, The Greatest Play is one with that mission.

(Community/Arts)

A story love, loss, and reunion told through the eyes of an omnipresent narrator, spacecraft music, and shoes.

⌚️ Through Dec. 13, 📍 Louis Bluver Theatre at the Drake, 302 S. Hicks St. 🌐 tinydynamite.org

Theater reviews are produced independently by The Inquirer without editorial input by their sponsor, Visit Philadelphia.