The true threat of terrorism is that once suggested, the damage is done. Whether or not any actual destruction takes place, the very idea, the very notion of danger, is enough to make terrorism, and Terrorism, successful. The word alone is enough to convince, to scare, to affect. Thus, the title of this play alone does a tremendous amount of work; audiences are certain they are going to see a play about terrorism, and therefore in the rape, suicide, abuse, and violence that follows, terrorism is what they see. 
      This traditional notion of terrorism is introduced at the very opening of the play, setting the stage for the rest of the performance. The members of the audience are treated like bystanders to a potential terrorist threat at an airport, forced to stand and wait in confused clumps before taking their seats. Though it is obvious that the threat is fictional, the actors playing police officers become authority figures and voices of reason, to whom we look for answers and guidance. This is one of the great strengths of the play; though it may at times seem over-determined, and perhaps even obvious, the audience is entirely submersed in the characters and their worlds. They may be caricatures, but they are interesting ones whose lives we care about, leaving us wondering what will happen next. 
      Much of play rests on the strength of powerful direction and production. The characters manage to create and sustain an atmosphere throughout the play despite the wide range of characters and storylines that are only partially linked by the conclusion of the story. Each moment is well envisioned and thoughtfully portrayed, from the pivotal exchanges of dialogue to the scene changes, which themselves contain interesting silent interactions and actions, much bolstered by the ironic and amusing scoring which highlights both the truisms and the truth of the characters and their statements. 
      Yes: this play about terrorism, about fear, about mistrust, is also about being funny. The actors do an excellent job in this respect, illustrating human foibles and life'‚s absurdities,all the more apparent in moments of extremity, when you can trust nobody and even the sweet little old neighbourhood ladies are possible murderers - but they are least amusing little old murderers. 
      Though this play is indeed very funny, its topic is very serious. One of its central messages isˆ the importance of scale, of dealing with on'e‚s own problems before delving into the lives of others. Terrorism and meddling are separated by a very fine line, and the one spills over into the other all too often. 
      In the Russian town where this play takes place, tragedy drives people apart instead of bringing them together. As all the characters are anonymous, with no names given either during the play itself or in the credits, it becomes clear that in this very collective endeavour everyone is alone, isolated, and even abandoned by their communities and even perhaps their own values. In the many, and varied, moments of extreme fear and tension, human pettiness is highlighted, spurring greater conflict and even more loss. 
      Ultimately, the initial fictional airport bomb threat becomes less an act of terrorism than the personal and directed violence committed on friends and neighbours. The audience becomes convinced that all violations are terrorism, whether in the abstract or the particular. 
      Obviously topical, the dialogue yields at times to the temptations of speechifying, but it is a pitfall meliorated by strong acting and direction. And despite it, the drama rings true, from the angrily delayed passenger to the horror-struck office worker and her petty and malicious co-workers. Among an escelletn cast there were notable performances by Sheila Reed as the office worker and old grandmother, Paul Ready as the insecure, petty boss and the victim of bullying, and Alan Williams as the sarcastic passanger and military leader. Though each actor played a range of roles, the performances subtly intersected, emphasising yet another theme, that all these acts of violence are connected. Once committed, or even imagined, the damage cannot be contained. 
      Despite its occasional tinctures of morlaism this is a powerful, passionate, and engaging play. In today's world of unpredictaility and lack of trust, Terrorism puts terrorism back to scale in a thoughtful, often stirring, and bitterly funny way.
Sharrona Pearl