Review by anonymous
June 17, 2019What I liked
The actors did an amazing job. Everyone was very committed and passionate, giving their all to a script that didn’t deserve it. Special shoutouts to Kimberly Loftus and Abbi Lyn Chuha for their unique voice work and commitment. The movement and dedication of the whole cast brought flat characters to something like life.
What I didn't like
The writing. This play felt like a news article read aloud, beating you over the head with facts and statistics with no real story or concise message. The projections of headlines did nothing to help this. Lines that listed sad facts were valiantly listed off by actors trying their best and pages long monologues were struggled through. The opening monologue could have been cut by 3/4 and managed to convey the exact same “message.” If only there were consistent characters or even a consistent theme, this could have been a powerful discussion about climate change. But even the “shellfish look at climate change” barely talked about the sea, dipping into discussions of barley and drunken birds. There was also no mention of Octopi or Wall Street, furthering confirming that a clever title was thought up first, and a hodge podge of incoherent ideas and confusing facts were tacked on later. This play felt like an after school special, a barely fleshed out idea that needed about 10 more drafts and a significant face lift.
My overall impression
The acting was wonderful, the costumes were fun, the writing was nails-on-a-chalkboard bad.
