Ed

Ed by Mike Murphy by title default made me think of the BBC Radio play Frank from about four years ago; I suspect it’s because the banner for Harvest Audio Productions is one of pumpkins.  That’s neither here nor there.  I enjoyed this science fiction tale with clear applicability to today’s world; also, it made me think of the legends of the Aztecs as recorded (perhaps erroneously) by Hernán Cortés as encapsulated in the film The Road to El Dorado and the Wizard’s admonition in Wizard of Oz to not pay any attention to “the man behind the curtain.”   Is democracy universal?  Is allowing our decisions to be made by some higher power, whether elected or of a religious nature, stupid or smart?  These are some of the questions explored in Ed.  

Ed, played by Joe Stofko, a Chicagoan stranded on the planet Trufgar, makes a good antagonist to H Keith Lyons as Carpenter, another pilot of the future brought down on this remote planet.  The simple story works well in the short format, but I was surprised at how quickly Carpenter’s relationship escalated with Triana (Kim Gianopoulis).  I think the realism of Ed might have fared better if their relationship was allowed to blossom with more naturalism.  It would have proved the play to be more than just an allegory.

The music and effects by Scott Spaulding and Kevin McLeod respectively helped ground this effort—the sound of pouring liquid was so realistic I could almost taste it.