"In short, 'Queen' aims to do much more than just shine a light on an ecological problem. At heart, it dramatizes the eternal conflict between logic and emotion, and how such a dichotomy can even manifest itself in the realm of science. It's the depth of Shekar's characterizations, the way Sanam and Ariel, especially, feel like three-dimensional people, that allows the play transcend its activist and allegorical trappings."
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Queen builds to such a satisfying climax that the final scene plays a bit flat in comparison. Also, Shekar may be slightly minimizing the play's central issue, which continues to worry ecologists. But the ideas in Queen are urgent, the conversation is stimulating, and no one emerges from the fray unscathed. As the playwright makes clear, the search for truth doesn't always lead to the moral high ground. She is clearly a writer to watch and NAATCO is doing its job splendidly by bringing her to our attention.
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"The play intermingles math, science, and politics, but Shekar and the company of actors pollinate the play with heaping doses of humanity. In sum, NAATCO's production is well worth the visit, and theatregoers will find much to appreciate in an audience with this 'Queen.'"
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Shekar’s script is extremely smart, funny at just the right moments, and morally gripping. Her characterizations of Ariel and Sanam are fully formed, uniquely individual and carefully complementary: Ariel is a crunchy-granola, bee-loving, single mom who’s desperate to prove Monsanto’s guilt, and Sanam is intense, strong-minded and honest to a fault. Through the character of Arvind, Shekar introduces the notion to Sanam that she and Ariel are looking at their study through the impartial lens of confirmation bias. The character of Dr. Hayes adds just the right amount of antagonism, almost sinister. Although there’s lots of statistics jargon in the script, it never impedes the progress of the story, thanks to the actors and director Aneesha Kudtarkar, who skillfully shapes the piece, finely intertwining the performances to maximum impact.
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