StudentsXpress: The Blog: Fatherhood Plays Major Role In Goodman Theatre's Smokefall

Review by Robert E. Croston,
Interim Principal at Jenner Elementary

Smokefall is Noah Haidle’s, playwright, surrealist perspective on the power of fatherhood. In a play where in utero fetus explore existentialism and the doctrine of “original sin,” there is potential for misunderstanding. However, once the characters begin to reveal their motivating forces, one realizes how powerful fathers are to intergenerational stability. The absence and abandonment of the father turned upside down the family for three generations. Although love can be lost in a lifetime, the love of a father or spouse, Haidle challenges us “to love anyway. All love ends by death or by someone falling out of love.” Like all great experiences in life, love must come to an end. A sobering idea for anyone considering sharing her love with another. The trick, according to the Colonel, is to hold on to love while it lasts because it is not supposed to last forever. “Be grateful [because love] won’t come again.” This is the 21 century echo of Alfred Lord Tennyson “Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all”. The storytelling is mesmerizing in a Toni Morrison Beloved kind of way. The set design is breathtaking and serves as an additional cast member to visually capture the power of a broken home. I highly recommend this play to adults seeking to explore their personal struggles with identity as it relates to their childhood. I am sure you won’t be disappointed. I can’t wait to see it again.