Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Despite its competing agendas, Christin Eve Cato’s raucously acted O.K.! mostly hits the mark

• By drediman
• June 11, 2025
• No Comments

A few hours prior to the Tony Awards last Sunday, I managed to squeeze in the final performance of Intar Theatre’s Off-Broadway production of O.K.! by Christin Eve Cato (as the saying goes, better late than never!). Set in the cramped dressing room of the touring production of an unauthorized (and presumably non-union) Latinx musical parody of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!, the play focuses in on the show’s three primary actresses as they prepare for a performance of the ill-conceived musical. Eventually, it comes to light that one of them is pregnant. Unable get an abortion — given that the tour is parked in the show’s namesake state, where the procedure has been recently deemed illegal — the actress is left to mull over what her options are.

To be sure, a lot of has been stuffed into Cato’s 90-minute play, which is largely performed in English with tidbits of Spanish sprinkled throughout. The playwright’s competing agendas include outlining the challenges faced by the post-pandemic theater industry, as well as sparking a general dialogue regarding women’s reproductive rights. By design, the play’s tone veers widely from boldly ribald humor to the dramatic depths of the existential crises. There are even fantastical flights of fancy thrown in, which seemingly come out of nowhere despite being rather entertaining. Although I can see how some would view the work as messy and incongruous, I found — to my great surprise — that much of the writing actually hits the mark in terms of incisive observations. There’s also considerable exuberance in the haphazardness of it all, much like life itself.

Much of the success of O.K.! must be credited to the production’s quartet of shamelessly outrageous actresses — Yadira Correa, Claudia Ramos Jordán, Danaya Esperanza, and Cristina Pitter — each of whom brashly take the bull by the proverbial horns. Indeed, their raucous work buoys the production and smooths over some of the more didactic aspects of Cato’s play. And although each aggressively vies for the spotlight, when push comes to shove, they’re ultimately a fiercely integrated ensemble. Under the direction of Melissa Crespo, the staging hums along at an invariably heightened level, delighting the audience with its vitality and occasional tricks up its sleeves (a number of which are courtesy of Rodrigo Escalante’s fun house set design; no spoilers here).

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O.K.!
Off-Broadway, Play
Intar Theatre
1 hour, 30 minutes (without an intermission)
Closed