Dana H.

At The Goodman Theatre, 2019

A play by Lucas Hnath. Voice recorded by his mother. Now this is the third Lucas Hnath play I’ve seen, but it’s entirely different from the others he’s written. For one, this script is one he didn’t write. It’s one his mother told via tape recorder, about her own experience. In the articles inside the program, Lucas begs not too much be given away, but that you witness the show instead. So I’ll give the same description that the Goodman Theatre offers: “Dana was a chaplin of a psych ward when she met—& was abducted by—a charismatic ex-convict searching for redemption.” This play has one actress, playing Dana. This actress lip syncs to the recordings. The sound design is phenomenal. The lighting is perfectly fitted. The show is one that is riveting but makes you uncomfortable. I cannot recommend this enough. It is masterful theatre, & what makes it all the more powerful is that everything is real.