By David Walters
A hurricane is a comin’ with a destructive force to rip off all the vinyl siding and particle board, flattening everything in its path.
In Hurricane Party now performing at Cherry Lane Theater, two couples, having known each other for some time, decide to party and ride out the approaching storm in the belief that the maelstrom will pass them by.
It can’t pass you by if you bring it inside.
There is constant tension, there are slow reveals, there is surprise just on the other side of the screen, there are twists and turns, there is sex, there is violence, and Taco is nowhere to be found.
A good play, with characters that “walk a tightrope over a shark tank.”
Don’t read any of the other online blurbs summarizing more of the plot. It’ll be more entertaining to go in as clueless as possible (assuming that’s not your natural state), only being informed by the title, and let Mr. Thigpen’s skilled playwright’s craft reveal everything to you on its own terms.
The dialogue is rich with colloquialisms, dense with humanity and full of deep humor and pathos expertly slung about by a well-connected, marvelously talented ensemble.
The direction by Maria Dizzia is spot on, effectively utilizing and theatrically transforming the scenes in Frank Oliva’s atmospheric low-country set reflecting the impermanence of the character’s lives and Miriam Nolifa Crowe’s surreptitious lighting that flashes with strength and power when called upon.
The Collective NY presents:
HURRICANE PARTY
Written by David Thigpen
Directed by Maria Dizzia
With: Michael Abbott Jr., Booker Garrett, Kevin Kane, Lacy Marie Meyer, Sayra Player, and Toni Lachelle Pollitt
The creative team: Frank Oliva (set design), Louise Ingalls Sturges (costume design), Eric Glauber (sound design), Miriam Nolifa Crowe (lighting design) and Stephen Gabis (dialect coach).
Studio Stage at Cherry Lane Theater, 38 Commerce St, New York, NY 10014 (Christopher St. or West 4th closest subways)
Purchase tickets here
Previews began 8/29
Opening Night 9/11
Limited engagement through 10/7
Performances Tues-Sat at 7:00, Sat matinee 3 and Sunday matinee at 5
Running time: 90 mins with no intermission
