Sequence

Nancy Palk, Ava Jane Markus, Kevin Bundy, Jesse LaVercombe in Sequence (photo by Cylla von Tiedemann).

Some people have all of the luck. But what is luck? And can it be controlled? Arun Lakra explores these questions in his award-winning play Sequence, now playing at Tarragon Theatre.

The script weaves together two stories in 80 minutes: Theo (Kevin Bundy)," the "Luckiest Man Alive" has successfully bet double or nothing on the Super Bowl coin toss for 20 years in a row when a young woman, Cynthia (Ava Jane Markus), confronts him after a speaking engagement and exposes patterns in his winning streak. At the same time, geneticist Dr. Guzman (Nancy Palk) races against the clock on a ground-breaking discovery to cure the disease that is causing her own progressive blindness. That is, until a surprise encounter with a struggling student in a wheelchair, Mr. Adamson (Jesse LaVercombe), challenges her firmly-held beliefs. 

Lakra's quick-witted script is often funny, especially in the hands of Palk as the no-nonsense professor. Director Andrea Donaldson gets strong performances from this energetic cast who make great use of the whiteboard covered set throughout. The back-and-forth debate format is occasionally bumpy but Lakra's dynamic experiment in narrative is worth the ride. This play will change the way you think about the order of putting on pant legs, and will leave you with more questions than you had coming in.

Sequence is a modern, intellectually-stimulating piece that sparks conversation. Catch it until February 12, 2017 at Tarragon Theatre. Visit tarragontheatre.com for more information and to buy tickets.