What I liked
I saw the passion that each character put into their role. You could tell they were excited to perform and took their rehearsals seriously.
I liked the colorful outfits. It helped bring life to the black background.
I liked all the different characters that had little connections to the other ones that you found out about as the play went on. It made it like a mystery, or a puzzle, and you were left surprised when you found out who was connected to who.
I loved that the lesbian couple was one of the main couples, making it relatable for show-goers who are not heterosexual.
I liked the fight scenes, which seemed real and intense.
I liked the script and build-up of the storylines, how we found out more and more of the deception of the characters.
I liked the photo area outside the facility to take photos with the cast.
I liked the director creating the excitement for the show when he introduced himself and the play. His excitement and passion made me excited to see what was next.
What I didn't like
The play was so great, a somewhat more relevant title might help the show-goer have a tiny grasp of the “feeling” the play was going for. Unfortunately, the title of “#don’t” doesn’t really capture what the story is about, but I’m sure must have been some logical decision making behind that. Perhaps I did not see that in the handout or read it about it beforehand.
The normal, facility backdrop has a lot of black like normal sets. It might have helped to have more pops of color – perhaps a brightly colored little chest of drawers when they had the chest showing. Or, a colorful purse for the purse prop. Or perhaps, a colorful blanket on the dark couch. Perhaps two tall plants placed on the stage.
It might help to have one or two lines in the beginning explaining a little more who is who, and how they are related. In the beginning scene with so many characters, it was a little hard to tell who was family, or friends, or what their connection was.
I saw a prior comment about the lesbian couple. Perhaps a simpler sweet nothing like “my love” could be sweet and subtle enough instead of “pookie” to help the audience understand the depth of their connection better.
My overall impression
Overall impression was that the show was great. I was pleasantly surprised, not knowing what the play was about beforehand. I was eager to find out what would happen in the end. It was a great evening.
