Dinosaurs

What I liked

The humor, wit, physical comedy of Mandy Rubeli as Norma the Dino, a phenomenal performance from Faith Saporito as the hilarious, troubled Trace, who came through as the real heart of the show. A connected, honest performance from Hailey Hudson. Really fun direction as well.

What I didn't like

A bit on the nose in the way Hudson’s character delivered her trauma, and explained the connection between the dino and her. I wish more had been left to the audience to connect the dots on. The comedy and engine of Trace the 12 year old being the way to closure are too smart to have it be so spoon fed to us in that opening scene. If our lead hinted at her past trauma, and then we slowly learned the details, maybe not even until she confronts Trace, that would make this a truly powerful, superbly written/structured piece of theater. Additionally, the scarring on her arm felt jarring and way too intense to just throw in to the story at the 3rd act and to the face of a real 12 year old kid, it took me out of it. As heart wrenching and visceral of a detail as that needs to be delivered with more care and again less directly, more nuanced/over time. We are with you, as an audience, that the act of assault was disgusting and reprehensible, and don’t need to be convinced of such so many times/so directly. Again, this is a bit of the sophistication that would take this piece to the next level. Well done and congratulations to all involved.

My overall impression

A clever and fun way to tackle a difficult topic.