I have seen worse, but this is definitely on the south side of the curve. Not so much for lack of acting talent (although there were no brilliant, standout performances), but more because the story was a mess. All over the map is the best way to describe it. Picture a shelf with five or six jars of paint, none of them bright, primary colors. Muddy greens, blues, browns and grays. Earthquake! ...they all fall to the floor, spilling their contents all over the place, running into and through each other, but not really making "art". Just a mess of muddy, overlapping blobs that become diluted as they try to get out of each other's way. This, sadly, was our story.

There were multiple plot lines that really had nothing at all to do with each other. None were strong enough on their own to make a complete, compelling story--at least not here. Unfortunately, several plot lines were given far too much depth, leaving us to wonder what the actual STORY was supposed to be here. If you asked me what this play was about, I really couldn't tell you; I literally don't know. Supporting characters need only enough back story to lend the support of their character, believably, to the story. Unfortunately, the stage was filled with nothing BUT supporting characters and their vague, muddy stories.

Plenty of good acting talent seems to have been squandered here on a meandering, tangled story that really goes absolutely nowhere. I keep thinking of a plate of under cooked spaghetti. This was a half-finished collection of muddy ideas all thrown together, with a great set as the sauce (it really was a fantastic set).

So...

- Great set = 1 star
- Decent acting talent = 1 star
- Bonus points because I feel like the cast really tried to make the best of what they had = 1 star (they really tried very hard)

Total, 3 stars. Give us some of the same cast in a better play and we would have a winner. This play needs a lot of rewriting (and less cheese, please--the Department of Water and Power singing and dancing bit made me cringe) until it becomes something coherent. Something you can understand easily without having to untangle the mess.

Afterthought: I recently saw Superior Donuts. This felt like it might have been inspired by it. If you are going to try and reproduce your own version of a winning recipe, it can be done, but you have to start with high-quality ingredients. Like a well-written story, for example...

Report as inappropriate

• 0 Good To Know
• 0 I Like Your Writing
• 1 I Went And I Agree

This play was crammed full of multiple stories which elicited a wide variety of emotions (which is good), but it was a bit too scattered and unfocused to have as much impact as it might have. On several occasions, I felt there was not enough time to absorb a dramatic moment before they moved on to the next story. Nonetheless, it was very well acted by the entire cast and easy to relate to. I'd definitely recommend it.

Report as inappropriate

• 0 Good To Know
• 0 I Like Your Writing
• 0 I Went And I Agree

Entertaining and topical.

Report as inappropriate

• 0 Good To Know
• 0 I Like Your Writing
• 0 I Went And I Agree

Took place in one place the whole time

Report as inappropriate

• 0 Good To Know
• 0 I Like Your Writing
• 0 I Went And I Agree