by Cari Lynn Pace

In Eureka Day, a multiculturally sensitive school set in Berkeley, enlightenment is virtuous and facts are probably suspicious. A mirror could reveal other hamlets where this theme reigns supreme. Whether you put your trust in the CDC, where RFK Jr. is the chief mountebank selling snake oil, or the medical professionals touting big pharma, this is a show to shake your head and question your perspective. Well written and growing ever more relevant since the pandemic, Eureka Day is not to be missed.

Rumblings begin at Eureka Day, an expensive private school championing social justice causes, when a child comes down with mumps. The parent advisory board meets to discuss whether to send out a doctor’s medical letter alerting parents and counseling the option of vaccines. The advisory board must agree unanimously before acting, yet they can hardly agree on the drop-down menu of ethnicities on the student application, which bogs down with fear of excluding anyone. This clash of parent choice versus science or practicality drives this show to a frenzy of laugh-out-loud fun.

As more students at Eureka Day become infected, the board considers a school closure. How long and who will be quarantined? Will unvaccinated students be home schooled? Will the unvaccinated be welcome back? Will the pricey tuition be waived?

The show’s outrageous highlight is a Zoom meeting intended to inform the progressive parents. The meeting has barely begun when the chat buzzes with rude parent comments and insults scrolling overhead the stage. This community of acceptance deteriorates beyond repair.

Playwright Jonathan Spector brought this multi-award-winning play to the Aurora Theatre Company in 2018, just ahead of the pandemic. Eureka Day is a joint production featuring many of the original cast members and is fortunate to have Aurora’s Artistic Director Josh Costello as the director of this production. He brings the characters into sharp focus as the crusaders of woke. 

Howard Swain channels the somewhat befuddled Don. As one of the senior organizers of the parent group, he styles himself as the great mediator. Don desperately and unsuccessfully tries to distract opposing viewpoints to avoid implosion. He fails. He closes the meeting by reading the group “a few lines from Rumi.” 

Lisa Anne Porter is magnificent as Suzanne, a militant mother whose righteous rantings annoy those around her, while she scolds them to be sensitive to making others uncomfortable. Suzanne has a hidden agenda, not to be spoiled here.

Eli, played by Teddy Spencer, is a father whose son contracts mumps with the daughter of Meiko, in a role by Charisse Loriaux. They share more than kids in common. This causes strife when the young boy goes into a coma. Their tryst doesn’t add much more emotion to the plot, except for tough questions one must ask.

Carina, portrayed by Leontyne Mbele-Mbong, is the newest member of the advisory board. She counters the board’s opinions while remaining cool and level-headed despite the aggression of others. She’s the perfect foil to Suzanne’s sarcastic and unchangeable zeal.

Kudos to Richard Olmsted, who designed the colorful set adding zest and humor to the play. The little children’s chairs and politically correct posters on the wall touting social justice set the tone.

This incisive satire when science smacks up against social consciousness cuts deep to the funny bone.

Playing now through September 21, 2025 at Marin Theater, 397 Miller Avenue, Mill Valley

Information and tickets at marintheatre.org

Photos by David Allen

Cari Lynn Pace is a long-time Bay Area theatre critic whose reviews were regularly featured in the Marinscope Community Newspapers.