By John Lyle Belden
Those of us over 30 have memories of Y2K – not just the possibility of computers failing but more the promise that the new century (and millennium) would bring after decades of advances in science and culture. Computer bug aside, this was likely the feeling 100 years earlier, in anticipation of the year 1900. (I would refer to it as Y-MCM but that reminds me of an unrelated song – still, the surreal nature of that thought is appropriate here.)
The play “Building Jerusalem,” by Michael Redhill, presented by Catalyst Repertory at IF Theatre, directed by Tristan Ross, focuses on that liminal space between eras, imagining a meeting of very different minds for a challenging evening of conversation and party games.
It is the evening of Dec. 31, 1899, in The Grange, home of renowned and controversial academic and writer Goldwin Smith in Toronto, Canada. Smith has not arrived yet, but his niece, Alice (Anna Himes) is on hand to welcome the guests: Dr. Augusta Stowe-Gullen (Alaine Sims), a physician and supporter of women’s suffrage; Adelaide Hoodless (Maria Meschi), director of a Domestic Science institute and advocate for milk pasteurization; Karl Pearson (Ross), a very opinionated Darwinist scientist; and the Rev. Silas Rand (Brant Hughes), a missionary to the Micmac tribe of Nova Scotia.
As midnight and the new century swiftly approach, a snowstorm outside prevents Smith from arriving and anyone from leaving. Let the games begin.
Aside from the mind games such a plot generates – or perhaps as part of them – the girl directs these otherwise rational adults in a series of party diversions common to the era. While “Charades” or “Follow the Leader” may be familiar to us, they also indulge in children’s competitions like “Donkey Do,” “Wee Wifey,” and “Zulu.” Being gentlemen and ladies, they play in earnest and accept the “forfeits” prescribed by Alice when necessary, including a very amusing penalty of “Kiss your own shadow.”
The cast bring out the full dimension of these historical figures, staying polite as possible as society conditioned them, yet each standing firm when their area of knowledge is challenged. Ross makes Pearson almost insufferable at times, but in a manner that reflects the attitudes of his time and the conclusions of his studies, not sinister intent. Sims’s Stowe-Gullen, as a turn of that century’s feminist, confronts a different perspective of womanhood in Meschi’s Hoodless, as they each present their shared desire for better and healthier lives. Hughes as Rand, a man usually confident in his Christian stands, finds himself in uncomfortable company, at first losing at the games before getting in a few verbal points himself.
As for Alice, Himes gives us a devilishly childish young lady of uncertain age and hidden wisdom. Adding to the air of mystery (in an era known for Houdini and Spiritualist trickery) is that at several points she performs simple stage illusions as a matter of course – done quite well, in fact.
As this is a difficult show to describe, please believe me that this is an excellent production, eerily perfect for October and perfect for 2026. Mystery, history, idealism, and ideas of “necessary” cruelty combine for a New Years Eve party you’ll never forget.
“Building Jerusalem” has performances Friday through Sunday through Oct. 25 in the Blackbox at IF, 719 E. St. Clair St., Indianapolis. Get tickets at indyfringe.org.
