By Skip Sheffield
Cancer is an emotional and volatile subject.
“Secret Order,” a Florida premiere running through Aug. 1 at Caldwell Theatre, 7901 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton, examines the politics and profit potential of a cancer cure.
Playwright Bob Clyman has used cancer research as a springboard to explore the symbiotic roles of research scientists, educational institutions and pharmaceutical conglomerates in the search for a cure for this heartbreaking, terrifying, multi-faceted illness.
A basic fact remains: whoever finds a solution to the problem of out-of-control reproduction of cancerous cells will be one rich person indeed; not just in the honor and prestige of finding a cure, but in hard, material riches.
Yes, there is big money in medical research, and big prestige in every advance made in research.
Dr. William Shumway (Nick Duckart) is a young Illinois research biologist who thinks he may have made a breakthrough in slowing and even reversing cancerous tumors.Shumway’s work has come to the attention of Dr. Robert Brock (Gordon McConnell), chief administrator and fund-raiser of the fictitious Hill Matthieson Institute in New York.
Lured by promises of his own lab, funding and live animals for testing purposes, Shumway agrees to relocate.
Dr. Brock was once a promising researcher twice nominated and twice passed over for the Nobel Peace Prize. In Shumway he sees a younger version of himself and a chance to ride the coattails of fame, acclaim and tremendous research grants from major drug companies.
Not long after Shumway starts at Matthieson, a feisty young medical school undergraduate, Alice Curiton (Katie Cunningham), shows up unannounced, determined to work with Shumway. Through sheer force of will and intelligence, 21-year-old Alice wins over both Brock and Shumway.
When Brock sees promising results of Shumway’s early research, he pressures the younger man to step up the pace and speak at a medical convention in Arizona, with a bombshell claim that a cure for cancer is at hand.
But all is not perfect in the lab. Some of the lab mice that were in remission are relapsing. Shumway begs for time but Brock’s pressure is relentless.
At its core, “Secret Order” is a morality tale. The already corrupt Brock corrupts his protégé. The firmly entrenched chief of surgery, Saul Roth (Howard Elfman), will stop at nothing to protect his position. The idealistic student will lose her ethical purity.
“Secret Order” deals deftly with complex medical concepts and terms. The problem was in the execution at the preview performance I saw. It is hard to pass judgment on a show when one of the main characters is not yet off book.
However, Nick Duckart and newcomer Katie Cunningham, an MFA candidate at FSU/Asolo Conservatory are a dynamic duo, both with their intellectual sparring and their undercurrent of physical attraction.
Howard Elman nails the seemingly bumbling but treacherous character of grandfatherly Saul Roth.
I can only hope the usually excellent Gordon McConnell gets himself up to speed as the amoral, opportunistic Dr. Brock.
Even in an imperfect form, “Secret Order” is a gripping tale of intrigue and skullduggery in the hallowed halls of academia, under the direction of Tom Bloom. The sad truth is that no one is incorruptible, whether in business, clergy or academia. This play is a forceful reminder of that truth.
Tickets are $38 and $45 ($10 students). Call 561-241-7432 or 877-245-7432 or visit www.caldwelltheatre.com.