My overall impression
As documentary theater goes this piece is totally satisfying. As with all world-shaking events (9-11, Columbine, Katrina) we can only know what really happened by hearing stories—stories we don’t get from TV which trivializes by its very nature, or the internet which doles out reality in burps and drabs. It takes live theater with excellent actors like those now playing in Katrina Comedy Fest (Deidrie Henry, Travis Michael Holder, Judy Jean Berns, L. Trey Wilson, and Jan Munroe,) to bring home the truth, the flavor, and the reality of what happened in New Orleans in August of 2005. Writer Rob Florence culled from hundreds of hours of actual interviews, stories that are neither helpless victim nor superhero tales, but rather stories that are complex, alive, human, and fascinating. My only quibble is with the title. I thought I was coming to see comics from the Big Easy. There are many wonderfully funny moments on stage, but they’re enfolded by a profound, sometimes tragic, and life-changing series of events. But whatthehellyagonnacallit, Katrina Tragedy Fest…?
