What I liked
Like the aforementioned elements, the cast found details in their characters to exploit and exhibit authentically. It was clever to enhance the international flavor of the hostel environment by creating all of the different accents and accompanying attitudes of the traveling international hostel lodging guests during a crazy night in Albania.
Avery Abel’s work on stage as the Aussie gal was grounded, hilarious, effervescent, dark, energetic and sadly tragic!
Bravo to the whole cast for great work and for bringing a great ensemble piece to enrich our lives as an audience.
What I didn't like
The chair armrests should be repaired. Haha, it was distracting. (House left 2nd row aisle)
Some of the lines were rushed and hard to understand, esp in the 1st half as I was getting my ears tuned into the accents. A little bit slower and cleaner would’ve helped me. There were quite a few overlaps that mushed up the comedic lines so I didn’t hear clearly enough to get the joke. Brazil, Albanian, Australian (male) cast specifically. The Irish gal at times wasn’t clearly understood as well. Perhaps the drinking? Haha.
More energy staging downstage would be good. Most of the staging was mid-upstage and it felt that some asides or moments of emphasis could have been brought closer to audience for emphasis and stronger dynamic.
My overall impression
The play’s clever story setting, staging, lighting, effects and the excellently shared focus of the cast’s characters setting up who they are in the story made for a very engaging, entertaining and enjoyable experience!
