The year is 1665. The weekly death tolls are shouted in the London streets and most of the well - and well-to-do - have fled the pestilence that will kill one in five. Nearing the end of their enforced quarantine are the wealthy gentleman William Snelgrave and his subdued wife Darcy. The intrusion of two unwanted visitors however, puts the quarantine process back to day one.
One interloper the twelve-year-old, Morse frames the story with her narrative. Morse is spunky and smart beyond her years, but is she the daughter of wealthy parents, as she declares, or simply a clever imposter?
The older intruder, the sailor Bunce, has slipped into the house to escape the Navy press gangs. Snelgrave, who works for the Navy Board, becomes fascinated with Bunce and through their exchanges details of Bunce's horrific life emerge. Snelgrave's wife is equally drawn to the sailor. Despite his reeking of tar, Bunce offers Darcy Snelgrave the physical attentions long abandoned by her husband after fire disfigured much of her body.
In one way, the most powerful character is incidental to the unfolding drama. Kabe is the watchman appointed to guard the boarded-up Snelgrave house, prepared to kill anybody who tries to escape. Kabe provides the most explicit voice to the playwright's theme of social injustice - but his kind of class revolutionary fervour also comes with a sales pitch for an anti-pestilence elixir at six shillings a bottle.
Within the house, the four disparate individuals rub against each other with increasing social friction and sexual tension, until their forced household collapses in rage and ruin.
Cast: Janice Koh, Rehaan Engineer, Michael Corbidge, Christina Sergeant, Mark Waite
Playwright: Naomi Wallace
Producer/Director: Christian W Huber
Production Manager: Suraya Ab Rasid
Stage Manager: Francois Conan
Assistant Stage Manager: Anand Balan
Set & Costume Designer: Sebastian Zeng
Light Designer: Bradley Peter Bowyer
Light Board Operator: Jacinda Chew
Sound Designer: Darren Ng
Sound Board Operator: Andy Tan
Makeup Artist: Lim Soon Cheng
Dresser: Angela Chew
Dramaturg/Front of House Manager: Liz Stevenson
Front of House Crew:
Rhissa Garcellano
Darwin Lai
Mitchell Holder
Camille Lim
Camilla Krishnan
Deanne Mah
Publicity & Exhibition Photography: Joyce Choo
Photography: Melinda Ng
Illustration & Poster Design: Ann Healey
Programme Design: Creative Dialogue
Public Relations Executive: Sonya Huber
Seamstress: Kuan Soo Poi
(Source: luna-id Programme)