Down to Chance
Stanley Arts Centre
Touring until October 25th
Down To Chance is the story of one night when the largest earthquake in US history happened in Anchorage, Alaska, in 1974.
Wife, mother and part-time radio reporter Genie Chance is used to being assigned to cover the most mundane of local news stories to her listeners but on this particular night she comes into her own. She finds herself at the very epicentre of the action and it is down to her, and her alone, to report what is happening there and then, to all the people stuck in their homes, their offices or their cars about what the latest situation is. She co-ordinates a helpline to try to locate missing people and let relatives know that other people are fine and well but just cannot get home such is the devastation all around. She faces a lot of opposition in her determination to let the people know what the latest state of affairs is from the emergency services who are trying to do their job the best they can.
Obviously Genie cannot stay on the air the whole time as she has to keep trying to seek out the latest information that she can so it is down to her teenage intern and a local hobbyist to keep the output from the radio station flowing. They do everything they can think of to keep the people trapped in their homes occupied and amused with as much an upbeat broadcast as they can come up with on the hop. Thinking on their feet they suddenly produce quizzes, book readings, live chats and even singing songs to while away the hours until the all-clear is sounded.
Ellie Jay Cooper has written a fast-paced show (think Come From Away without the songs) and you’ll have some idea of what this show is about. Cooper also appears as reporter Genie Chance and a whole load of other characters in this two-man show. She is joined by actor Matthew Staite who plays the teenage intern and a myriad of other characters. At one point they even play the same character sharing lines between them. These are clearly two very talented and versatile actors as there is never any doubt who they are supposed to be at any given time even though they have to race through their character changes at breakneck speed.
Directed by Caleb Barron this play makes you wonder how you would cope in this situation. Would you be able to step up to the plate and put the welfare of others before yourself? What must it have been like for everyone on that fateful night back in 1964? What is it like today when similar tragedies occur?
The play has an excellent soundtrack of songs from the late fifties / early sixties to set the scene. Lots of happy rock ’n roll songs that make the audience think that all is well with the world and nothing bad could possibly happen. But of course it does.
This play that debuted at the Edinburg Fringe in 2025 is now touring until October 25th and is well worth seeing.
Reviewer: Mike Linane
⭐⭐⭐
London, 24 October, 7.30pm
artsdepot, 5 Nether Street, Tally Ho Corner, North Finchley, London N12 0GA
Tickets from £19 www.artsdepot.co.uk