"Scotland Road"

July 13, 2010 — A Norwegian ship comes upon a woman floating on an iceberg. She utters one word: "Titanic!" Is she a survivor? The Titanic sank in 1912. The woman appears to be in her 20s. The problem is, this is 1992!

This is the background for a strange little play where nothing is as it seems. A bare white room with a door at each end and a deck chair are all that four actors have to work with at The Winnipesaukee Playhouse in Weirs Beach, New Hampshire. A man and a woman doctor who we later learn is not really a doctor, try to learn if the young woman, mute for most of the first act, is actually a Titanic survivor or a hoax. In the second act, the last known living Titanic survivor, an old woman in a wheelchair, is found and brought in to question the young woman. Her questioning is inconclusive, and this "survivor" has her own dark secret.

This is the type of play the Winnipesaukee Playhouse excels at — mysterious, baffling, with a small, talented cast. You won't like it if you prefer a neat ending with everything explained. This play ends with many questions, few answers. But if you appreciate good acting, smart, sometimes witty, sometimes absurd dialog, it's your cup of tea, as it is mine.

By the way, the play never explains the title, but I researched it, and Scotland Road was the name given the central passageway that ran the length of the Titanic allowing crew members to pass from first class to steerage.