Ignore the politics & enjoy the family dynamics to get the best of “Martian Gothic”

By ADAM CROWE
A Seat on the Aisle

It is no coincidence that Earth Day (April 22) falls in the middle of Clerical Error Production’s (CEP) run of Don Nigro’s Martian Gothic.

The play was commissioned by The Ensemble Studio Theatre in New York as part of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Science & Technology Project. Set in the 1980s, the play introduces us to the Pretorious family, most specifically Sonia. Sonia is a fantastically capable PR flack, who happens to work for a power utility that is building a nuclear power plant. Her sister Janie is an anti-nuke protester and her father, a famed physicist.

On one level, an indictment of corporate greed and the dangers of capitalism in the nuclear energy arena, Martian Gothic intertwines the politics of the issue with the complicated family dynamics of parents and children and their often-fractured relationships. More than a polemic against unfettered use of dangerous technology, Nigro has woven a tale of human wounds both physical and psychic.

Laura Gillen stars as Sonia in Clerical Error’s production of Martian Gothic. (Photo by Rob Slaven / IndyGhostLight.com)

Director Jon Lindley has assembled a very capable cast. As Sonia, Laura Gellin carries most of the weight of the play on her shoulders, moving from confident certainty to a sense of everything becoming unmoored. Gellin is joined in the Pretorious family by Sarah Powell as sister Janie and Brad Staggs as father Dr. Pretorious. Joining the cast as a nasty boss and cynical researcher are Blake Mellencamp and Ailene Sims, respectively. All perform well, with the Pretorious family given the most interesting arc.

Bottom line: Nigro seems to have little interest in setting up any serious debate about nuclear power. His hand runs a little heavy in that portion of the story. The family dynamics are much more interesting and affecting. Martian Gothic features captivating set, sound and light designs, and when Gellin’s Sonia is talking, you are definitely drawn into her journey and discoveries along the way. For Clerical Error, the play is a break from more lighthearted fare. Audiences should reward them for taking on something that runs deeper.

Clerical Error’s production of Don Nigro’s Martian Gothic runs one more weekend at Indy Fringe Theatre, closing April 27. Information about showtimes and tickets can be found at indyfringe.org/performance/2025-martian-gothic.

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