What I liked
I loved this piece top to bottom. Fantastic script and direction. You could feel the love that the cast has for each other. Mod Becher and Isabella Velarde both give bold performances, embodying the characters with ease. Mitch Schlagel, as Dave, employs a dishrag, sad-sack energy that contrasts well against the other performances; what could have easily been a “bad boyfriend” trope was handily avoided by both Schlagel and writer, Pennington, alike. A stand-out performance from Summer Benson as Max rounds out the cast. Benson has a presence that intrigues from the moment they appear and their comedic timing is profoundly precise.
I was laughing through the whole piece but also gasping and reacting to the truth around every corner.
What could’ve easily been a “bottle episode of Generation Q” is so so so much more.
What I didn't like
My first thought when I left was… This was absolutely incredible. The second thought I had was… Is it begging for just a touch of theatricality? Why is this a play and not a movie?
Each scene is set in small spaces with big voices speaking in them. Early on we have a moment where Max has heard everything the others have said from across the restaurant. Later, in the Airbnb, we have another moment of someone overhearing a secret. Then a moment where someone expresses their feelings and the person they are talking about is listening from the stairs. The first time was funny. The second time was funny. The third time was poignant. The fourth time I was confused why it was used again. Then it was used 2-3 more times. My first instinct was that it was just an easy device to keep pulling out. But then, as I walked back to Fringe Central with my podcast co-hosts, I realized something. THAT was the theatrical device! THAT was the answer for “why is this a play and not a movie?” The fact that we know they can hear each other creates a tension in the space at all times. Everything they said a little too loud made me clench just hoping someone wasn’t behind the wall listening. It made us wonder if characters were TRYING to be heard sometimes and for what reason. All that to say I think it’s a perfect play and I was wrong about the theatricality.
I mean, I guess it could maybe use ONE MORE moment like the pad Thai noodle prop because that absurdity was hilarious and right at home in the world for some reason.
My overall impression
Everyone needs to see this piece. This is what theatre could and should be in 2022.
A relationship drama that makes LaBute and Mamet look like amateurs; this phenomenally simple story is the voice of a generation presented without a megaphone. Ultimately it’s about humans dealing with friendship and love through the scope of identity. Writer Maddox Pennington has elegantly and seamlessly molded a story that absolutely anyone could relate to. Although gender and sexuality are huge pieces of the puzzle, Maddox uses their adept hand to not necessarily make it ABOUT that. It’s a play about relationships and those relationships just happen to be between trans/non-binary people. This should be the new trajectory for theatre. A character’s gender/sexual identity can just be a fact. Maddox never feels the need to spoon feed or teach. They present us with a story that feels real and grounded. Over a drink at the bar afterwards I compared it to a modern day Chekhov. Not because of writing style or use of subtext, but because it feels like realism for the modern time- for right now, especially here. Sexy, smart, hilarious. I highly highly highly recommend this piece and it is absolutely on my short list for the Theatre Theater Playwright Award.
