PLEASE CONTINUE

With admirable vocal naturalism and almost maddening nonchalance, Matthew Wolf, Will Brittain, and other members of an ensemble cast bring to life the true story of a series of obedience/conformity experiments performed upon students at Yale University in the early 1960s. The repeated phrase "Please continue" takes on an eerily sinister quality as the professor and graduate student prod their subjects to keep on administering electric shocks--no matter their apprehension--when participating students answered questions incorrectly. (The shocks were faked, as were the students' reactions.) The dialogue is realistic, chilling, and thought provoking as moral questions about authority, human dignity, and individual freedom are grappled with by the entire ensemble of narrators. The play makes a fine addition to L.A. Theatre Works' "Relativity Series," which focuses on plays with a science theme. B.P. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2019]