THE HANGOVER REPORT – Angela Hanks’ quirky parody WILDER GONE is one of the funniest shows in New York

Crystal Dickinson and Washington Kirk in Angela Hanks' "Wilder Gone" courtesy of Clubbed Thumb's Summerworks at the Wild Project.

Crystal Dickinson and Washington Kirk in Angela Hanks’ “Wilder Gone” courtesy of Clubbed Thumb’s Summerworks at the Wild Project.

Last night at the Wild Project, I caught the second offering of this year’s Summerworks – the annual festival of new plays curated by the folks at Clubbed Thumb – Angela Hanks’ quirky parody Wilder Gone, and I had a grand old time. Wilder Gone is a welcome breath of fresh air, perhaps one of the most inspired pieces of comic playwriting I’ve encountered this past year. It’s right up there with Tom Stoppard’s Travesties as one of the funniest plays currently playing in New York.

Set in the 1920s somewhere around Dallas, Texas, Ms. Hanks’ play tells the story of a motley group of African Americans trying to make sense of their lives in this country (the play takes place not that long after the Civil War). Although issues like race, identity, and religion/spirituality are explored, it’s done so in a way that’s refracted through a delightfully skewed comic lens. Ms. Hanks’ writing is unexpected, endearing, and consistently hits that sweet comic spot. My only criticism – which really isn’t – is the somewhat somber manner in which the play ends; I had selfishly wanted the piece to end on a hilarious high.

Thankfully, the staging by director Margot Bordelon is just as buoyant as the text. She understands the play’s loony logic that and brilliantly fleshes it with theatricality and panache. Like most Summerworks shows, Wilder Gone is produced on an uncommonly high level – sets, lighting, and costumes are superbly realized. As for the acting, there’s some sort of alchemy going on there. The cast – comprised of Toni Ann DeNoble, Crystal Dickinson, Washington Kirk, Nicole Lewis, Christopher Livingston, Hubert Point-Du Jour, and Markita Prescott – give taut, rich performances that exuded meticulous, at times uncanny, comic timing. Although Wilder Gone is a comedy, there’s so much truthfulness and heart in the way these actors bring it to life; I was unexpectedly moved by the gravitas they radiated.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

 

WILDER GONE
Off-Broadway, Play
Clubbed Thumb’s Summerworks at the Wild Project
1 hour, 25 minutes (without an intermission)
Through June 14

Categories: Off-Broadway, Theater

Leave a Reply