The Happiest Song Plays Last at Santa Fe Playhouse

BWW Review: THE HAPPIEST SONG PLAYS LAST at Santa Fe Playhouse

When we arrived at Santa Fe Playhouse for the Sunday matinee of The Happiest Song Plays Last - part three of the Elliot Trilogy, superbly written by Quiara Alegria Hudes and currently being produced in a collaborative effort by three local theaters, - I asked the director, 'is this really the happiest one?' Truth be told, part two, Water by the Spoonful, emotionally wrecked me for about a week - I was hoping the trilogy's conclusion would end on a higher note. Happiest Song did not disappoint, although I wasn't always sure it was going to go that way.

BWW Review: WATER BY THE SPOONFUL at Teatro Paraguas

Even though the subject matter is heavy, Elliot, a Soldier's Fugue, part one of the Elliot Trilogy by Quiara Alegria Hughes, left me with a light feeling at the end. I was looking forward to part two, Water By the Spoonful, this week, hopeful for a similar experience. Part two was a whole other experience and this time, the heaviness did not subside at the conclusion.

BWW Feature: The Santa Fe Playhouse Announces New Artistic Director: Vaughn Irving to Pass the Baton to Robyn Rikoon

The Santa Fe Playhouse has been a cornerstone of Santa Fe's theater community for almost 100 years. In that time, there have been many Artistic Directors, each charged with moving this venerable 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization forward. The baton of leadership is about to be passed once again.

BWW Feature: THE ELLIOT TRILOGY at Teatro Paraguas, Santa Fe Playhouse, And Ironweed Productions

Teatro Paraguas, Santa Fe Playhouse, and Ironweed Productions present This fall, Teatro Paraguas, the Santa Fe Playhouse, and Ironweed Productions join forces -with a cast of 17 actors from Santa Fe, Albuquerque, and beyond-to bring Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Quiara Alegria Hudes' masterful epic, The Elliot Trilogy, to Santa Fe. This powerful trilogy consists of Elliot: a Soldier's Fugue, Pulitzer Prize-winner Water by the Spoonful, and The Happiest Song Plays Last. The plays follow Elliot Ortiz from the battlegrounds of Iraq, to a Subway sandwich shop in his home of Philadelphia, to his roots in Puerto Rico, and back to the Middle East to confront a past that has haunted him since the war. The plays span four generations and over 60 years, grappling with the impacts of war and addiction on families and how redemption can be found within intergenerational care, compassion, and wisdom.