Dragged

What I liked

Godoy was a strong performer, and I enjoyed the energy she brought to the stage. I also admired the writer Harrison’s bold risk in taking on such difficult concepts. Bringing forth different forms of queer art is something I’ll always support, we need more of it. I also appreciated the attempt at creating deep, complex characters.

What I didn't like

I’m not a fan of having someone reveal their trauma to an audience on stage unless they’ve consented to it. In Dragged, it felt coerced out of Harrison’s character in a way that clearly didn’t sit right. Him saying no the first couple of times should have been enough to not pry further. People have boundaries, and those boundaries matter, even in a scripted show. Trauma shouldn’t be used as a prop for entertainment without consent. Harrison’s character seemed uncomfortable throughout, and that’s not something we should encourage or celebrate.

(Below are my subjective thoughts on what could be improved, feel free to take them or leave them.)

1. Several scenes had too much dialogue, and I got lost in the conversation and couldn’t follow at times.
2. The ending felt abrupt and left me confused about what it wanted me to take away.
3. When it comes to serious topics like cheating, the material is so dark and real that it deserves a stronger way of conveying it rather than relying on heavy dialogue. Show, don’t tell.

My overall impression

As with anything creative, I admire the show’s effort to put a production on stage, and I’ll always give props to artists who put themselves out there. That said, the show fell flat for me and didn’t quite meet my expectations. I loved the concepts it introduced (infidelity, the queer nightlife scene, and the importance of supporting one another), but the execution needs more work.