Since the arrival of Dolly the sheep, the first mammal to be cloned, in the late-90s, the possibility of human cloning has sparked controversy. In recent years, with advances in genetic engineering, the practical and ethical issues regarding cloning continue to make headlines and incite lively debate. “We’ve got ninety-nine percent the same genes as any other person. We’ve got ninety per cent as a chimpanzee. We’ve got thirty percent the same as lettuce,” says Michael Black in A Number. “Does that cheer you up at all? It makes me feel I belong.”
Like all NAATCO undertakings, A Number is done with skill and grace and an uncommon concern for shining a light on our moral obligation to be worthy residents of this particular patch of space and time. Highly recommended.
A Number — particularly when realized as well as it is here — remains a fascinating study of second chances and their consequences. De la Fuente gives an impressive performance as three very different variations on the same man.
Mr. Saito does a great job of opening up only as much as he is forced to … an excellent job with the role. I recommend A Number, a thought provoking and interesting look at personality and humanity. The show uses cloning not as a gimmick, but as a tool to investigate our uniqueness and commonality.
Reviews Off Broadway
Maureen Payne-Hahner’s stop-and-start direction emphasizes the play’s episodic structure. Czerton Lim’s set includes wall panels that initially resemble abstract patterns, but reveal themselves to be DNA sequences. It’s a subtle underscoring of the play’s themes, and it’s effective.
Set Design: Czerton Lim Costume Design: M. Payne-Hahner Lighting Design: D. Alex Bright Sound Design: Kate Brown Stage Manager: Clara Dalzell Graphic Designer: Matthew Grayson Production Manager & Technical Director: Nathan Lemoine Co-Producer: Dr. Christoph Hahner Publicity: Sam Rudy Media Relations
