M.A.D.

Synopsis

At the height of the Cold War M.A.D. stood for Mutually Assured Destruction. For 11-year-old John it meant Mum and Dad. M.A.D. is a poignant and compelling family drama following the lives of a struggling market trader, his frustrated wife and their young boy John, as their whole world appears to be coming to an end. Set in 1984, in the aftermath of the terrifying post-apocalyptic TV drama 'Threads', and then nearly twenty years later, M.A.D. tenderly explores the gap between the lifestyles and aspirations of parents and son. Out of a world full of cold war paranoia, an emotional fall-out haunts this ordinary family, threatening to rip apart the love that once drew them together.

Our Review:

26 April 2004

As an American child of the Eighties, I can assure Whatsonstage.com readers that we had our own Threads. When The Day After was aired on US prime-time television in 1983, it sparked off riots in some cities while, in schools the next day, normal lessons were abandoned for discussion of the film. On the night itself, I recall cowering beneath a blanket, watching the grim scenes of nuclear holocaust in Kansas unfold through laced fingers. When my sister scolded me for getting so upset over a movie, I screamed back at her, “It’s real! This is going to happen.”

It’s hard to fathom now in our post-Cold War world, but total annihilation seemed to me then like a probability if not a certainty. Far more real and terrifying than today’s comparable threats of global warming or scattergun terrorism.

In this country, playwright David Eldridge must have been similarly scared out of his wits, if the obsessive dread he lends his 11-year-old protagonist John is any...

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Latest User Review

USER: Whatsonstage.com (81.138.50.59) - 26 April 2004:

A stunning performance by David Eldridge. The character John was impressively played by young new actor Lewis Chase. Worth every penny!...

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