The idea of America acting as the world's policeman comes into focus in Alan McKendrick's two-hander, set on a US Navy observation platform. Here the trigger-happy, redneck Megan and the more liberal, would-be writer Hemingway observe the inhabitants of a country embroiled in conflict, unconcernedly eating tuna sandwiches and admiring the sunset as the locals dig holes in the beach, hack off limbs and bury each other in the sand. Observing a machete-fest beachside, one of them comments: "It's kinda arthouse." But when US interests appear to be threatened and the pizza delivery service looks as if it will be off the menu, Megan's finger itches to press that big red button. And she would, if only she could only find it.
McKendrick's smart-arse, wisecracking script - first produced at the Arches in 2006 - owes more than a passing debt to the work of US playwright Adriano Shaplin, which is no surprise because this slickly entertaining production features Riot Group stalwarts Stephanie Viola and Drew Friedman as Americans who possess a worryingly hazy grasp of geography. Very good the pair of them are, too, with Viola capturing the hawkish steel of Megan, while Freidman is excellent as the ineffectual, hand-wringing Hemingway.
There are some good scenes, including one when the two try to best each other with tales of childhood misery, but whereas some plays fail because of a lack of consistency of tone, this one's satiric mode quickly becomes wearing. Although the show is mildly amusing, it is seldom funny enough to sustain momentum. As the hour reaches its inevitable conclusion, you feel you're being told something you already know.
