What I liked
I thought it was really unique and cool to do that switch like that halfway through the show. It reminded me of Noise’s Off but with more realism. The. Characters are all unique and drastically different from each other rather than blending in and being all the same.
What I didn't like
I’d say adding a curtain over the clothes rack to make it more clear that it’s a window would be cool. At first I didn’t know if it was a window or the area of a diner where the cooks serve food.
My overall impression
At first I thought the show was going to be centered around the guy with the flannel around his waist. He’s purposefully a little obnoxious and interrupts his girlfriend, so you don’t know whether or not you should like him. But then, the girlfriend ends up sticking up for herself and you realize the play doesn’t center around them at all. In fact, it centers around the diner itself and how a central meeting place can bring so much life into one room. This is a story about a diner and how people love, live, and experience their lives with other people alongside them. Always Open is a delightful slice of life set on a minimal stage without the distractions of a huge set. The simple stage design worked perfectly and helped the audience recognize that the set design isn’t what’s improtant here – it’s the people.
