Susan's City Scene

AMERICAN CONSERVATORY THEATER PRESENTS WORLD PREMIERE OF KATE ATTWELL’S “TESTMATCH.” Proposed for your consideration: Cricket is a game of strict rules and hidden violence; life is a game of loose rules and visible violence. Both are proved true in Playwright Kate Attwell’s “Testmatch,” a pair of stories focused on cricket but considering broader truths about human nature. In the first half, tensions in the locker room rise during a match between rival women’s cricket players from England and India, as secrets spill about relationships, influencers and the integrity of the sport. After a clever open curtain scene and costume change, the second half moves to 1800s India, as bungling, cheating British administrators — absorbed in setting down the rules of cricket — are oblivious to tragedies both inside and outside their compound’s walls. A uniformly strong cast — Arwen Anderson, Millie Brooks, Meera Rohit Kumbhani, Lipica Shah, Avanthika Srinivasan and Madeline Wise — play multiple roles with elan. Written by Kate Attwell. Directed by Pam MacKinnon. Ninety minutes without intermission. A.C.T.’s Strand Theater (1127 Market St., San Francisco) through Dec. 8. Tickets through the A.C.T. Box Office at (415) 749-2228 or online atact-sf.org.

Susan Cohn is a member of the American Theatre Critics Association and the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle. She may be reached at susan@smdailyjournal.com.