The Navigator – Everything Becomes Clear In One Point Seven Miles
by Karen Tortora-Lee on February 13, 2012
There’s a terrific moment in Eddie Antar’s The Navigator when main character, Dave, is beginning to realize the true capabilities of his GPS system. Not only did the soothing female voice guide him to the proper exit, but she (albeit a bit cryptically) pointed him toward a great stock tip, gave him some advice on how to discipline his daughter, and – if that wasn’t enough – anticipated a huge accident and directed him off the highway in the nick of time. Not quite sure how it’s all working, Dave says “I like having answers but… how do I know what the questions are?”
And that’s really the heart of the this little gem of a play: getting the right answers to some questions? That’s good … great, even. But if you’re going to have the equivalent of a Magic Eight Ball that’s omniscient at your disposal, you need to know which questions to ask … because if you’re not being selective about the questions, you’ll be tempted to ask that voice everything. Soon you’ll find you’ve given up the very thing that make you human: choosing. Failing. Getting back up again. What The Navigator does, and does wonderfully, is show the initial seduction, the subsequent joy, and the ultimate frustration of always knowing the next decision you make is absolutely the right one no matter how crazy it sounds.
