Review: SINCE WE’VE NO PLACE TO GO at The Rosette

Forget snowy windows and carolers in scarves—Christmas in Since We've No Place to Go arrives with sweat, sunshine, and emotional meltdowns under the blazing Texas sun. This new play by Benajah T. Baskin and Talya V. Hammerman trades Hallmark sentimentality for a messier, more truthful look at what it means to come home, particularly when "home" implies grief, unspoken tension and a backlog of unresolved family issues.

Running a brisk 80 minutes at The Rosette in Hyde Park, the play centers on Lee (Talya V. Hammerman), the quiet, self-contained daughter who never left after their mother's death, and Glynis (T. Chanse Solis), an unexpected houseguest and their sister Riley's plus-one. Glynis, a sarcastic and emotionally bruised lesbian from a loveless background, arrives like a catalyst—one whose sharp tongue and emotional X-ray vision disturb the family's fragile equilibrium.

While technically a family reunion narrative, the play is driven by Glynis's arrival and the subtle, yet unexpected, connection they forge with Lee. Their growing intimacy is the emotional anchor of the piece: two young people dealing with abandonment in vastly different ways, finding quiet understanding in late-night conversations marked by dry humor, shared trauma, and an unspoken desire for peace. These scenes are grounded, intimate, and profoundly affecting, with a rawness that never feels forced.

While I wish all parents could accept their children exactly as they are, it is well known that isn't the case. Even in 2025, there are many young LBGTQ+ rejected by those who should love them unconditionally. So, one of the play's most poignant moments comes when Lee gently confronts her father's unease with her sexuality. “I know you don't hate gays, Dad," they say. "I just don't understand them,” he replies. It's an honest, uncomfortable exchange that captures the emotional distance between the two generations and the possibility of change. The play doesn't offer a pat resolution, but it does suggest that once we speak to one another, and truly listen, there's space to grow, to accept our differences, and to love more fully. It's in these moments of vulnerable honesty that the characters begin to rediscover not just each other, but parts of themselves they'd long suppressed.

Under the direction of Benajah T. Baskin, the performances across the board are authentic, honest, raw, emotional, and funny, even when the tension gets uncomfortable. Brian Headrick brings aching restraint to Tom, the still-grieving father; Madison Powell's Riley is a volatile, self-medicating whirlwind; and Amelia Hobson's Francis is sharply drawn, if slightly underdeveloped, as the judgmental Christian sister. Caleb Clemmons is sweet in the role of Asher. Solis, in particular, delivers a standout performance as Glynis. They are wounded, incisive, and irresistibly human.

Although a few character arcs feel rushed or under-explored—especially those of Francis's faith and Riley's addiction, the script crackles with wit and emotional insight. The play doesn't try to smooth over its edges; it embraces contradiction and complexity, finding a pulse in the uncomfortable spaces between people.

There's something oddly comforting about a Christmas story set in sweltering Texas heat. The seasonal dissonance mirrors the characters' emotional dislocation, trying to perform joy while carrying the weight of grief, difference, and long-standing hurt. It's a family gathering where nothing goes as planned, but somehow, something true and necessary still emerges.

The Bandwagon's production of this original story doesn't aim for polish. It aims for honesty, and achieves it. It's messy, funny, tender, and piercing. And while it doesn't always resolve neatly, it leaves you with the sense that something important has been unearthed; flawed, maybe, but real.

Duration: 80 min, no intermission

Since We've No Place to Go

Book by Benajah T. Baskin and Tayla V. Hammerman

Directed by Benajah T. Baskin

Now playing through June 1st, 2025

Friday, May 30th at 7:00PM

Saturday, May 31st at 2:30PM

Saturday, May 31st at 7:00PM

Sunday, Jun 1st at 2:30PM

The Bandwagon @ The Rosette

3908 Avenue B Suite 116