Review: QUEEN at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley

Queen

By Madhuri Shekar

Directed by Miriam A. Lambe

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley

The survival of bees and therefore the world provides the backdrop for a story of friendship, loyalty and foremost, integrity in Madhuri Shekar’s  Queen. Uma Paranjpe and Kjerstine Anderson, both making their TheatreWorks debuts, star as researchers studying the collapse of bee colonies worldwide. A flaw in the data threatens their work plunging them into a scientific debate on tweaking their work to further their goal, an argument that spills over into the lives of all four characters.

Shekar examines ethical questions by people pushed to their limits when their deepest commitments are challenged: Sanam (Paranjpe) is a biostatistician responsible for the data that will prove a pesticide is killing the bees, her co-worker Ariel (Anderson), a single mother and ecology researcher sees career advancement and a brighter future if their paper gets published. At the last moment, the data is skewed, perhaps because the model is flawed.

When their supervising professor (Mike Ryan as Dr. Philip Hayes) pressures them to adjust their figures, the girl’s friendship will be tested to its limits. Colony collapse disorder is a real threat, not just existential, as is the state of friendships. Is fudging the result worth damaging their relationships and at what costs to their self-esteem and careers? Sanam is also struggling with an arranged romance with the brash, derivatives trader Arvind (Deven Kolluri) who prefers his women stay-at-home jewels.

Shekar puts a spotlight on the tough choices that present themselves and you can feel the pain and struggle in the ensemble acting here. Set in Nina Ball’s exquisite honeycombed set design, the actors show us their fragility and inner moral compasses in this truly relevant production.

Queen continues through March 31st. For tickets, call 877-662-8978 or online at theatreworks.org

Photo Credit: Kevin Berne

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