What I liked
Really loved the recurring motif of “make a joke, engage, walk away.” I also appreciated the parallel historical questions – tying in the genocide of Armenians to hate today. And the question (paraphrasing) – what does going through genocide teach you? I wish I could remember the question verbatim because it was/is a powerful one. Hike is genuine, heartfelt, and transparent and we need more of that. “This is Water” is another show at HFF 2025 that openly reflects on biases – these shows should meet!
The microphone was new so I suggest a few more rehearsals with that to see if that is indeed what is best and also to get more comfortable with it (but honestly even with the awkwardness of shifting to the microphone, Hike played it off so well!)
What I didn't like
N/A
My overall impression
Hike dares to provide genuine, heartfelt, and transparent introspection at the quiet biases we keep quiet.
