Inspired by Henrik Ibsen’s classic Enemy of the People, the story of a
crusading doctor against an entourage of snake oil salesmen.It’s October, 1918, and Dr. Claudia Hill is wrestling with how best to address an impending influenza epidemic in the small Georgia town of Norwich. Public health seems at odds with the town’s economic interests as civic leaders debate shutting down all public gatherings—including the popular and lucrative arrival of Dr. Eggerton’s Traveling Medicine Show. As her attempts to impose a quarantine are usurped at every turn by the wily Dr. Eggerton, Dr. Hill realizes she must stand alone to save the town.Interwoven throughout the play are scenes from the period medicine show, complete with tap dance, old time melodrama, bluegrass music, and vaudevillian comedy.Medicine Showdown premiered at 14th Street Playhouse in Atlanta, in August 2009. The production was developed and produced by The Flying Carpet Theatre Company, directed by Artistic Director Adam Koplan. |
|
 |
