Strange spirits are being summoned in Point Breeze North. When dusk descends over the grassy quadrangle called Westinghouse Park, where George Westinghouse’s mansion once stood, ghosts may drift across the lawn. And even stranger doings are afoot under the tent where Quantum Theatre is staging the musical The Current War (through June 27).
This world premiere, which marks Quantum’s return to live performance, is an unusual show to begin with. Rarely do we get a musical about the origins of electrical infrastructure. Yet that’s what writer-composer Michael Mitnick has given us. And though The Current War is grounded in historical fact—the actual techno-economic “war,” in the late 19th century, to decide whether America’s future electric grids would run on direct or alternating current—the show might best be appreciated with a bit of background from the realm of fantasy literature.
– Mike Vargo, Entertainment Central
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