Don't write this one off! I have wanted to see a production of SpongeBob live for a long time, since enjoying the proshot. The set and costumes are amazing, the blocking and choreo fit so many more people than should be possible into the tiny Portland Playhouse stage. As SpongeBob and friends grapple with the impending threat of a volcanic explosion apocalypse, the results of fear turned into anger create a far more intense and emotional conflict than I'm sure people are expecting. A happy ending doesn't feel inevitable, that makes it worth all the more.

The sun is still shining. The kelp is still kelp-y. And we're all still here.

Dave Malloy show numero tres!

Comet has always been a Malloysical I want to like, but never graduated into more than a nice background soundtrack for me. Maybe it's the length, or that I don't specifically relate to love stories much. This production made me realize why people like it so much, and finally seeing it in person blew me away.

I loved it so much!!! The dialogue felt very natural (though I don't have any siblings so take with a grain of salt I suppose) and I especially loved picking up on little ways their communication failed or they'd miss the point the other was trying to get to. The way arguments start up from minor things felt very real in way that impressed me! I love the themes to, and slowly connecting the way the more outspoken feelings of the characters wove into the grander scale of things. I also love to see a real portrayal of chronic pain and the way it affects the characters!

I love what Genderbomb does!!!

A collection of short pieces, devised by the group and performers, around gender, pregnancy, and the nuclear family (sometimes quite literally). I think the dirrector's note in the program summed it up very well, wanting to ask your cishet married with children friends "is it real??? is this really how it works???". The writing was clever and dry, and oh so funny in ways you wouldn't expect. It was refreshing seeing the absurdity of gender conformity and expectations played in front of us for the ridiculousness it is.

I had the amazing opportunity to stage manage this show! So my review may be slighly biased, but I did have the chance to really sink into the material.

A wonderfully somber and striking piece. A group of superheroes meet in a support group to discus their experiences with grief and death and the responsibility placed on them. What stands out to me the most is the realistic nuances of each character's dialogue, even before actors were added the personalitites and beliefs of each shine through concealed insecurities. Add in the wonderful performances, and this was such a delight to experience. The tense background noise of political upheaval is hauntingly accurate, too, as we're all expected to go about our lives facing incomprehendable attrocities. Each person in this show has a specific blend of personal and outward politics, what buttons those push and how they express them to others, and as an aspiring writer it was my favorite part of getting to experience the piece from paper to performance.

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