Battle Cry ëFar Awayí Portrays Effects of Warís Horrors on Young Woman by Heather Nalbone Caryl Churchillís ìFar Awayî is not a production made in any real-world setting. It is a tailspin beyond most imaginations, conveyed in an Orwellian atmosphere following 10 years in the life of a girl named Joan. The production, now showing at the Studio Theatre, is fervent from the opening scene, when a seemingly kind old aunt lies to the precocious young Joan about atrocious blood-filled acts occurring in the backyard shed. In the second scene, the girl is a naÔve, demure young woman mouthing off idealistic notions during the days she spends working in a hat factory. By the third scene, sheís gone mad as the result of a chaotic war that encompasses an untold number of countries and pits and salesmen against dentists and even elephants against crocodiles. The three-act production is satiated with high-speed symbolism and metaphors intended to convey the horror of a world at waróan imaginary world based on, one can guess, everything from the Holocaust to the Cold War to modern-day battles. The world that Churchill develops is nearly impossible to create with backdrops and props, no matter how sophisticated. It is found rather in the swirling dialogue of the playís three characters, whose emotions are at times more important than the words themselves. Actress Holly Twyford as Joan expertly portrays the demise of someone facing grave misfortunes brought on by a hostile war, using no more than 30 minutes to transform an annoying young college graduate into a frenzied, disheveled soldier seeking temporary relief from the horrors of an entire planet gone mad. Resident costume designer Helen Huang also deserves credit for her ability to drastically alter Twyfordís appearance with just three sets of the simplest of clothing (or lack thereofóthe oldest Joanís plight as a soldier is accentuated by her lack of footwear or brassiere). On the other hand, director Joy Zinoman may have done well to shorten a scene in which a slew of ìprisonersî march across the stage to the droning sound of repeated rhythms. The playís purpose is to create a shocking effect that reels intellectual viewers away from everyday complacency to the many horrors of humankind. But despite all of its accolades from leading critics, the writing is at times arguably over the top and seemingly drenched with metaphors, leaving one with the desire for some semblance of a realistic storyline to follow. The show is the product of a socially and politically motivated British playwright whose family moved to Montreal to avoid the terrors of World War II. After becoming a resident dramatist in Londonís Royal Court Theatre, Churchill joined the feminist theater group Monstrous Regiment and wrote nearly two dozen plays. The Studio Theatreís stage set is a simple one in which an oversize wooden table serves as the main item in the kitchen of a rustic country home and as the workbench in the corner of a large factory. Itís a well-done setting for a theater known locally for performing seasoned productions in a relatively small spaceóa style that has garnered the theater company nearly 200 Helen Hayes Award nominations since its inception in 1978. ìFar Awayî runs through May 9 at the Studio Theatre, 1333 P St., NW. Tickets are $33 to $45. For more information, please call (202) 332-3300 or visit www.studiotheatre.org. Heather Nalbone is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat.