The Fire at the Edge of the Earth takes place atop Caucasus, the mountain where Prometheus was punished for eternity for stealing fire from the gods.
But though Greek myth casts a long shadow on proceedings, the play focuses on the modern day, where two men, Vector and Pluto, hit a breaking point in their relationship. Through flashbacks, philosophical discussion, and classical allegory, we learn more about these two men, their place in the world, and their attempts to reconcile this with the bond they share with each other.
Vector is a classicist who meets Pluto, a medical student on Tinder. As their relationship progresses, the Pandora’s box of difficulties and uncertainty that comes with relationships is opened, and the two men try to make sense of the unknown land they find themselves in.
The Fire at the Edge of the Earth is a two hander, and is driven entirely by the dialogue Vector and Pluto. Their back-and-forth is almost reminiscent of the grand dialectic of Ancient Greece, as they search for answers to some of the most unknowable questions.
It’s an ambitious piece, as they ponder topics as grand as grand as language, Greek myth, and the future of humanity. The play is at its best when it is at its most down-to-earth; both characters are very likeable despite their flaws, and you root for their relationship and their a their ability to overcome their struggles with their own fear of themselves and each other.
The loftier themes of the piece such as the nature of the unknown and the inevitability of change are tied in really well by the recurring motifs of Greek myths such as the stories of Prometheus and Pandora.
The Fire at the Edge of the Earth understands that these themes are particularly resonant to a queer audience, and is all the more resonant by centring it on a relationship between two men. The play occasionally bites off more than it can chew (unless you are Tom Stoppard it can be really difficult to write dialogue about science and philosophy without sounding like you are copying it out of a textbook) but is nonetheless always fascinating and thought-provoking.
