Although safety was not guaranteed at Signature Theatre during the Feb. 11 showing of a musical by the same name, a good time certainly was. With exciting lights, quirky characters, and the alluring tunes of contemporary indie rock, Safety Not Guaranteed introduces audiences to a magically realistic depiction of friendship and time travel in the Pacific Northwest.
Upon arriving in Ocean View, Darius and her crew stalk the master time traveler, Kenneth (Gunnar Manchester), at the P.O. Box listed on his ad. Darius skillfully befriends Kenneth, joins him for an intense training regimen, and helps him complete his machine, all while evading the ever-looming authorities. Essential aspects of a sci-fi thriller—a heist, a complex machine, and the term “quantum limb theory”—are contrasted against heavier reflections about what they are willing to give up to relive the past.
As a Pacific Northwest native myself, the musical’s creators accurately characterize both the coastal town and the contrasting metropolis of Seattle: local magazine rivalries, the barber shop where everyone knows your name, and the “Beach Ahead” street signs as you wave the city goodbye. Darius and Kenneth bond over diner french fries, as I often did with high school friends, and escape to their wooded hideout, of which I had many. I wouldn’t bat an eye if I saw the characters walking around town (even if they were training for their mission) or serving me an $8 latte…