'Lungs' at Studio Theatre, Washington, D.C.
Brooke Bloom and Ryan King in Lungs. Photo: Carol Pratt
So sets the stage for this one act play told by a man and a woman, and nothing else in between.
There are no stage props, no flashy lights, just two people trying to work some complicated shit out.
We never learn the names of the couple—after all, does it really matter when their conversation plays out verbatim to the ones we have in life?
For anyone nearing 30, in a relationship, and contemplating next steps, Lungs offers a humorous perspective on relationships and parenthood, which was the exact intention of British playwright, Duncan Macmillan who found himself at 30, engaged and with a mortgage. (Welcome to adulthood!)
We meet “girl” (Brooke Bloom) who loves to read, a bit Type A, and is finishing up her doctorate in something really smart. Then there’s “boy” (Ryan King) who’s a dreamer, musician in a band and mad for his partner. Life, for these two young love birds, is uncomplicated and pretty much awesome.
The scene opens with girl rambling incomprehensibly at boy for ten minutes at an Ikea. You see, boy wants to have a baby, and that’s the problem.
Ryan King in Lungs. Photo: Carol Pratt
While Lungs offers nothing new to the trials and tribulations of couples (their arguments, fears and desires), its straight forward narrative and the genuine likability of the characters make this play work. We see the evolution of this couple and their relationship—we see how they miscarry, breakup and get back together. Macmillan treats these complex issues like the way a comedian would in writing a sitcom; and we’re never too far away from the next punch line.
Just when things get a bit too serious, we hear the girl's environment rationale for not having a baby in which she states, “Well actually…if you really care about the environment, you’d kill yourself.”
The dialog between the characters is conversational and infused with interjections to reflect a realistic discourse; and actors Bloom and King do a fairly nice job in delivering their lines with natural ease.
And at moments, we can sense Macmillan’s stream of consciousness (and perhaps his internal battle) as we listen to the litany of reasons as to why one should or shouldn’t consider having a baby. Are we good people? Can we be good parents? The world is awful, how can we possibly raise a child when murders are rampant? And of course, having a baby is bad for the environment because of its massive carbon footprint that has the equivalent weight of the Eiffel Tower.
Lungs doesn’t spend too much time romanticizing or philosophizing the issues of parenthood and adulthood. The play simply presents the daily struggles of life through its two characters. Sometimes life is complicated. Sometimes it’s not. Sometimes we hurt the people we love. Sometimes we work things out. After all, is it really that deep?
Lungs is written by Duncan MacMillan and directed by Aaron Posner, and is performed at the Studio Theatre in Washington DC from October 4th – October 16th.
Keep it loud
