What I liked
I loved everything. Kristina Mueller was insanely good. I’ve never been so locked in to a performance in my life. She can make the entire audience burst out laughing with just a sideways glance. Unreal. The costumes were INCREDIBLE. This play quite possibly has the greatest wig ever conceived by humanity or organgutanity. Loved how they used very simple lighting techniques to express various emotions and locations. The ending is one of the most insane and incredible things I’ve ever seen. The way the entire audience was reacting was something I’ll never forget for the rest of my life.
What I didn't like
I can’t think of anything that could be improved. Maybe if the people who run the theater could figure out a way to block some of the sound from the noisy people outside.
My overall impression
A masterpiece. The most incredible experience I’ve had in a theater, hands down. Watching this play is like starting a movie thinking it’s a dark comedy and then you get this tingling sensation in your stomach like this might be a David Lynch film but then your heart starts pounding because you realize this isn’t David Lynch, this isn’t a movie at all. You’re in a dream, the kind you wake up from and then quickly shut your eyes, desperate to fall back into. The kind where, even though you know it was a dream, the emotions you felt are real and stick with you. The kind that if you tried to explain it to a friend, or write a review about it, you quickly realize it’s impossible to put into words. It can only be experienced. Thankfully this is a dream you can return to, at least a few more times this month, and bring along a friend so you can have the pleasure of seeing the look on their face when the lights come up.
I can’t say enough about Kristina Mueller. Genius was the first thing that came to mind when it ended, a word I heard over and over from the crowd as we left the theater. She grabbed the entire audience from the VERY first line and didn’t let go until the end. The way she uses her body and her voice is like a master musician playing their instrument. Every line, every look, every movement played to perfection as she pulls you deeper and deeper through the story.
The writing and directing are equally amazing. Troy Deutsch’s script takes you on this surreal journey where you’ll be bouncing back and forth from laughing out loud, shrinking back in terror, squirming in your seat, and then just staring in awe because your brain is so enamored with what you’re experiencing it’s completely forgotten there’s a body down there at all. There’s nothing better than discovering a writer who truly has their own style and tone and evokes such specific emotions that you didn’t even know you could feel.
Tinks Lovelace’s direction couldn’t be better. It’s so confident. An amazing example of how much depth can be expressed with simplicity in the hands of someone as talented as her. No need for anything flashy or showy. The story flows and rises and falls and jabs and soothes then takes you somewhere you never expected. And it works flawlessly. The writing, acting, lighting, sound, blocking, every aspect is invisibly fine tuned to lure you into the dreamscape.
Kristina, Troy, and Tinks have done something truly special and unique. It’s hilarious, heart-wrenching, terrifying, thought provoking, and something you’ll never forget.
