Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Patch of Blue’s WE LIVE BY THE SEA is a visceral, uncomfortable portrait of teenage autism

• By drediman
• April 21, 2018
• No Comments

Alexandra Brain in Patch of Blue’s “We Live by the Sea” at 59E59 Theaters.

Each year, I look forward to Brits Off Broadway, 59E59 Theater’s wonderful spring festival which brings the best of the UK’s fringe theater scene to New York. The festival got off to an attention-grabbing start this week with Patch of Blue’s devised theater piece We Live by the Sea.

The production, a hit at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, portrays an autistic teenage girl and her unlikely relationship with a troubled boy. Patch of Blue tells her story in a way that coerces you to step into her shoes, literally forcing you to, in theatrical terms (lights, sound, music, guttural screams, you get the picture), her exposed, frayed nerves. This immersive approach works most of the time. Occasionally, however, the show (which is directed by Alex Howarth) could use more artfulness and less of an assaultive style to draw the audience in, much like the Tony-winning stage adaptation of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Approach aside, We Live by the Sea is fearlessly and sensitively acted; I applaud the cast for their commitment to the piece.

Ultimately, there is no denying the visceral, messy power of We Live by the Sea. I just wish it were less of an uncomfortable sit, even at 90 intermission-less minutes.

RECOMMENDED

WE LIVE BY THE SEA
Off-Broadway, Play
Patch of Blue at 59E59 Theaters
1 hour, 30 minutes (without an intermission)
Through May 6