Ultimately a deliberation on the fragility of life, Thursday, innovatively written by Bryany Lavery and directed by Chris Drummond, is an exhilarating play surrounding the story of the 2005 London bombings. A group of strangers find themselves brought together by misfortune, as the play "Thursday" goes beyond the tragedy itself and shows us the reality and emotion faced in the daily lives of these people. It's a story with all the dramatic potential of a classic survivor's tale: triumph over adversity, victory of human goodness and courage over hatred and evil. The opening sequence of the play offers the audience a simultaneous view of what appears to be just ordinary people preparing for a day that they have no reason to expect will be anything other than normal. At first, what appears to be a bed for two in the center of the stage becomes everyone's common bed as an endless group of characters emerge. We watch their stories interconnect and overlap around the events of July 7. Lionel, an academic, rehearses a speech on the degradation of cities. A couple deeply in love, Bonita and Ryan lust and frolic. Elizabeth, confused by Alzheimer's disease and living in an extremely personalized reality; AND an angry young man; Lesbians Maxine and Hels are trapped in their own relationship and too afraid to be true to the world. Then there is Rose, (who in the play is a proxy for Gill Hicks, the Australian woman who took part in the London bombings), bitchy and self-obsessed and who seems to be in a relationship doomed to failure with the good-hearted but lazy Kev. with this busy opening sequence appears to be lulling the audience into a false sense of security before the bomb explodes and its life-altering consequences...... middle of paper ...... ent when it is backlit, by Colin Grenfell creates the perfect space for the apartment, hospital and of course the London Underground. This allowed the audience to see into the rooms at the back of the stage. Potra captured the true essence of theater levels without going up. He creates fantastic depth and uses every inch of the stage as an example by creatively playing two other sets backstage behind the scrim. On stage, live piano is played by musician and composer Quentin Grant; the soundscape is soft but haunting. Overall, there was much to appreciate in “Thursday’s” excellent music and design, sometimes lyrical and often amusing. . It captured human history and emotion rather than focusing on the terrorist attack. Lavery delves deeper into themes of grief, loss, and identity, but also demonstrates a sincere realism throughout the play..