‘Eureka Day’ is a brilliant cautionary tale of liberalism gone too far

Peppermint Creek Theatre Co. closes out its season of shows “based on a true story” with another challenging yet entertaining production, “Eureka Day.” Playwright Jonathan Spector’s biting satire holds a mirror up to the political left, reflecting the stereotype of “liberal snowflakes” likely held by the extreme right.

Eureka Day School is a private school in Berkeley, California, that prides itself on its diversity and inclusion. Decisions about the school’s operations are made by an executive committee that must reach a consensus on all policy changes. The play opens during the first meeting of the school year, as the committee debates adding a new demographic category to its admissions application.

New member Carina (played by Filonna Thomas) struggles to understand the dynamic of the group, as does the audience. This scene introduces us to the members of the committee as they perform complex verbal gymnastics, attempting to make valid points while not offending each other or the delicate balance of liberal idealism.

Don (Michael Phelps) is the kind but milquetoast principal, unconsciously abdicating his leadership of the group to Suzanne (Emily Clark), the longest-serving member. Eli (Connor Kelly) is a stay-at-home dad in an open marriage and is having a tryst with single mom Meiko (Laura Nguyen).

The friendly committee fractures when a student is diagnosed with mumps, kicking off a battle between vaxxers and antivaxxers. It’s worth pointing out that “Eureka Day” premiered in 2018, before the COVID outbreak. Spector could not have anticipated how relevant the play would become.

Even more prescient is the scene during which the committee hosts a virtual town hall with the parents of the school to discuss under what circumstances they can reopen the school following a quarantine period. This scene alone is worth the price of admission. As the committee argues on stage, Don — along with the audience — is monitoring the online chat, which naturally devolves into insults and name calling.

The second act focuses on the vaccine debate as Suzanne shares her deepest pain with Carina. Clark is simply amazing, perfectly portraying Suzanne’s friendly control over the group, then showing her vulnerability and potential for viciousness as she feels that control slip.

Director Ben Cassidy assembled a skilled cast to go toe-to-toe with Clark’s Suzanne. Thomas’ Carina starts out as a fish out of water but soon flexes her muscles as she refuses to kowtow to Suzanne. Kelly’s Eli is affable as he tries to make a point, only to defer to any other viewpoint. As Meiko, Nguyen seethes well, crocheting with a vengeance to keep from exploding at the group.

As Cassidy states in his director’s note, “Every person in this play genuinely believes they are acting with care, compassion, and good intentions.” That doesn’t make them any less infuriating at times. Spector has crafted a clever, cutting script that offers no solution to ending the vaccine debate, but it’s infinitely more entertaining than doom scrolling through Facebook flame wars.