In the wake of disaster, crisis can bring out the best in people. That idea is vividly illustrated by Maybe You Like It’s new show. Down to Chance is based on the true story of the Great Alaskan Earthquake of 1964 and the remarkable relief effort coordinated by cool-headed local radio reporter Genie Chance. Following the huge tremor, Genie immediately takes to the airwaves, sharing information, assembling volunteers and staving off public panic.
It’s a winning tale told with frenetic charm by performers Ellie Jay Cooper and Robert Merriam, who whirl in and out of a carousel of different roles. Between the two of them they pull off an unlikely collective feat of storytelling, emulating the resourcefulness of those who came together in the aftermath of the earthquake. It’s all done with humour, heart and a rotating array of headgear.
There are hints of contemporary natural disasters in references to the danger of misinformation in a crisis, though these resonances are fleeting and under-explored. The show also has a feminist undercurrent in its depiction of Genie and the barriers she faces as a female journalist in the 1960s. But ultimately this is a feel-good narrative – makeshift, occasionally chaotic, yet always engaging.
Down to Chance, Pleasance Courtyard, until 25 Aug (not 12), 2.10pm