Power of Sail, Power of Sail

Distinguished Harvard professor Charles Nichols finds himself in hot water after inviting an incendiary white nationalist to speak at his annual symposium. His colleagues are concerned, his students in revolt, but Charles is undeterred in his plot to expose and academically thrash his invited guest. POWER OF SAIL examines the profoundly relevant insidiousness of hate disguised as free speech and who ultimately pays the price for its tolerance.“The consequences are catastrophic when a respected Ivy League professor invites an infamous white nationalist to speak at Harvard in Paul Grellong’s POWER OF SAIL, a powerhouse [premiere] sure to have audiences talking long after the lights go out … as good as contemporary theater can get … the hottest ticket in town.” —Steven Stanley, Stage Scene LA“One of the core American principles is the right to free speech. However, this glorious principle runs into trouble when truly evil groups such as the Ku Klux Klan or Nazis wish to spread their poisonous propaganda. The usual response to this is that the only response to hate speech is more speech, which leads to what philosopher Karl Popper called ‘the paradox of tolerance,’ in which he posits that if a society is tolerant without limit, it will be destroyed by the intolerant … POWER OF SAIL takes on the question of the limits of free speech … Grellong’s writing is smart and funny, with one character memorably riffing off the ‘answer to hate speech’ maxim with ‘The answer to Nazis is pipes and bats.'” —Terry Morgan, Arts Beat LA“A smart firecracker of a play … Presenting itself initially as a debate masquerading as dramatic fiction, SAIL quickly pivots and deepens, morphing into a tale that is equal parts character study and thriller … If this were a book, you’d read it into the wee hours … Make no mistake, Charles Nichols is going to take a fall and a whole lot of people in his orbit are going to be delighted to witness it. The beauty of Grellong’s thoughtful play … is how conflicted we in the audience may find this descent.” —Evan Henerson, Broadway World“An enjoyable and provoking cancel culture thriller … [The] characters bat complex ideas back and forth in perfectly formed, snappy exchanges … There are no pure heroes here and Grellong has no interest in easy answers … But the issues Grellong raises aren’t going away, and you leave the auditorium with your head buzzing.” —Nick Curtis, The Evening Standard (London)“[Grellong’s] dialogue makes a brisk plot and unlikable characters immensely watchable … it grips with its adrenalised dialogue … truly shocks.” —Arifa Akbar, The Guardian (London)“[A] deliciously knotty morality thriller … it’s terrific. It has a genuinely exciting plot and a full-spectrum moral awareness of the murky motives and pitiless passions of identity politics; either of these qualities are a rare delight in new writing, and both together are an absolute treat … Brisk, well-made and punchy, it reminded me why a good off-West End drama is such an enjoyable night out.” —Caroline McGinn, Time Out (London)