Review by anonymous
June 11, 2016 certified reviewerWhat I liked
Claire Lake has fashioned an ambitious and creative piece of theater, turning the traditionally dark tale of a progressively debilitating disease into a delightfully comedic yarn. The disease, in Lake’s world, is S.B.—a condition that causes uncontrollable, sudden dance moves. Ms. Lake plays the afflicted with impressive and necessary energy, while Jamie Morgan plays her sister—the anchor of the show—with laudatory guts and gravitas. Lise Hart plays all the other characters—and nearly steals the show with each one. With talent like this to support its ideas, “Don’t Spill Your Drink” makes for a fast and fun bit of entertainment.
What I didn't like
The actors were a bit besieged with having to move props and furniture that made for a few awkward moments. Also: one light shone, blindingly, directly in the audience’s face at one point. The director should have seen those issues and fixed them.
The script is very smart, but would benefit from either a trim to a tighter one act or further development into a full length two act piece. It’s a bit unwieldy: Lake’s outrageous alcoholism in one scene is forgotten in the next and her meditative visions are never powerfully connection to the main story except in the final reel.
My overall impression
A very impressive and successful attempt to humorously enlighten audiences about what it’s like to live with a progressive and incurable disease. Not an easy operation…but these ladies will have you in stitches. The good kind!.
