By Holli Harms
Michael Cruz Kayne is an Everyman.
He may be an accomplished stand-up comedian and writer, winner of several awards including the Peabody, but what matters most to him and what comes across on the stage in his theatrical debut, “Sorry For Your Loss,” is his audience. All of his outward accomplishments are building blocks to the marvelous, personal, and theatrical story he presents to us. A story about family, about loss, about love, and about grief.
His wonderfully hilarious observations on life come flying fast and furious causing the audience to sit forward to take them in full force so as to not miss anything said and to consciously laugh with eyes open so as not to miss a gesture.
He asks us to remember the time in our life before we knew about grief because there is a before and after time in all of our lives. He reminds us that everyone on this planet has experienced grief and so he asks us to NOT “judge the outside of someone to our inside.”
In 2009 Kayne experienced the deep loss of his child, a loss that he was not able to let go of. In 2019, on the anniversary of his tragic loss, he decided to tweet out his feelings of grief to his Twitter followers. When he checked his account later he had over 140,000 responses from individuals all over the world who were still dealing with their own grief or had just had it enter into their lives. This started his journey to loss and death and how we either handle it or don’t. Kayne wants you to know that you don’t need to “let go” of those you lost, instead, you find the place for them in your life as you move forward.
This is a stunningly beautiful heartfelt evening of endearing, hilarious, educational (there are Math and English instructions), and heartfelt stories of Kayne’s family and their loss. All of it is specific to his life and universal to ours.
Photo Credit Jeremy Daniel
Josh Sharp does not so much direct the show as allow the evening to move at its own speed with its own ebb and flow. That gentle touch is part of our eager sitting forward.
There are sections of the evening where you catch your breath, where you are asked to remember those you lost, and in that remembrance is the beauty of their life and the impact it has had on you.
I have not experienced a show so personal and funny and graceful before, and I encourage you to take yourself and experience every moment of the evening. And remember you will laugh and feel joy as well as touch your own grief. There are two sides to grief, go discover them.
Sorry For Your Loss written and performed by Michael Cruz Kayne and directed by Josh Sharp now playing at the Minetta Lane Theater.
Creative Team: Set Design by Seth Banakis, Costume Design by Rodrigo Munoz, Lighting Design by Cha See, Sound Design by Connor Wang, Projection Design by Aaron Rhyne, Production Stage Manager Garrett Kerr
Audible Theater at Minetta Lane Theater, 18 Minetta Lane, NYC 10012.
GET TICKETS HERE
Running Time: 75 Minutes EXTENDED THROUGH June 10
Minetta Lane Theater with Audible allows for in-person performances and also for Audible listeners from all over the world to discover the works that they stage at the theater.
