THE SEA
Terrapin Theatre
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Willy’s search for an explanation introduces us to the citizens of the sleepy town on the North Sea coast of East Anglia where such things are permitted to happen. They include the straitlaced Mrs. Louise Rafi, the quintessence of Victorian propriety, who rules the affairs of the town with an iron hand, and her niece Rose, the fiancee of the dead man who now chafes under the boredom from which she hoped marriage would deliver her–Willy is quite prepared to oblige her in his late friend’s stead. There are also the ladies who rehearse an amateur production of Orpheus and Eurydice to support the coast guard fund: Miss Jessica Tilehouse, whose meek demeanor conceals passions of astonishing intensity; Miss Mafanwy Price, whose devotion to animals makes her an easy choice for the role of Cerberus, the canine gatekeeper of Hades; and the featherheaded Jilly, who hides a vaguely sexual curiosity about the mysterious Evens. We also meet Mr. Hatch, a dry-goods merchant who was the officer on patrol that fatal night and who has of late been talking of alien invaders infiltrating the town’s complacent existence. His fellow tradesmen regard his ravings as harmless, but the half-witted Billy Hollarcut vows to keep vigilant watch for signs of spies. Providing an ominous accompaniment is the rumble of cannon fire as the civil defense forces get ready to repel the German navy.
