What I liked
Right off the bat, if you enjoyed Mr. Hunt in Absolutely Filthy, or The Poe Show, or King of King, you’ll enjoy this. It’s got everything he’s good at: The central, tortured character stumbling through trying to figure out why things always go sideways, the crafty, funny writing that stuns as it informs, and the ultimately vulnerable reveals that lie buried under all the self-imposed craziness. This is a one man play so there’s variety of tone and mood to keep things interesting as BH, zips from scene to scene, trying to piece it all together. He completely fills the Black Box theater and brings that Hunt energy that works so well live. One thing that stands out for me is how he can take a seemingly small event and blow it up, much the way we do in our own lives. His characters often make mountains out of molehills and that’s the case here. In the process, we alternate between feeling as if we are back in a familiar, uncomfortable situation, or we’re marveling at this character desperately adapting to a completely strange, uncomfortable situation.
What I didn't like
Aw, don’t be like that.
My overall impression
Full disclosure, I’m always gonna go see what Mr. Hunt does. It’s always gonna have surprises, some real pathos, and some danger. And funny. You know there’s gonna be some great funny. Brendan Hunt knows how to connect material, character, and audience and he does it here. I saw the preview so there may be adjustments from the show I saw. I’ll see it again later in the run just because I know that, free from the restrictions of a big ensemble show, Brendan will find even more to bring. That’s another thing you can count on.
I WILL SEE IT AGAIN
