Review: HIGHWAY PATROL at Goodman Theatre

HIGHWAY PATROL is a real-life play for the internet age. Based on the digital archives of actor Dana Delaney with text curation from playwright Jen Silverman, it’s a personal, vulnerable, and also universal exploration of the longing for connection. Though the action takes place primarily in 2012, before the phrase “extremely online” was even coined, HIGHWAY PATROL is a live theater piece about what it means to be “extremely online.” 

Film, television, and stage actor Dana Delany plays herself and relays her own testimony about her online relationship with Cam, a 13-year-old fan with chronic illness living in Costa Rica. Through numerous tweets, DMs, and emails, Dana and Cam form a deeply connected, entirely virtual relationship. But when Cam starts bringing supernatural news to Dana, the relationship takes a turn...and as the play progresses, the dynamic takes a turn in more ways than one. 

Delany takes audiences on a personal and vulnerable journey, but the play also allows room for meditation on larger themes. Namely, while Dana aims at times to separate real-life fact from online fiction, the play also really asks the question: What happens on those occasions when we don’t want to separate fact from fiction? What if we want to lean into the fictional world that the internet creates for us? Through Dana’s testimony, I was moved to contemplate my own relationship with the internet, parasocial relationships, and online friendships.

With direction from Mike Donahue, HIGHWAY PATROL moves along at a nice clip. Delany is a warm and vulnerable actor; she invites audiences easily into her story. She’s relaxed and genial, but she also captures the anxiety and harriedness of an incredibly busy time in her professional life. Thomas Murphy Molony is winsome and earnest as Cam, Dana’s adoring Twitter fan. Dot-Marie Jones is grounded and wry as Cam’s grandma Nan, and she wears a few other hats in the play that show off her acting chops. In a fun turn, Peter Gallagher voices himself in various phone conversations and voicemails with Dana. Dane Laffrey’s set design is sleek and modern, and Yee Eun Nam’s projection designs allow us to literally see Dana’s digital archives projected larger-than-life onstage. 

I was particularly struck by HIGHWAY PATROL because in telling this story — and in telling it herself on stage — Delany has made herself immensely vulnerable. By making the story a deeply personal narrative for Delany, creators Delany, Donahue, Laffrey, and Silverman also eskew any sense of preachiness or morality.  In an era where it’s so easy to hide behind screens and online comments, Delany generously presents a personal and raw story about her own online experiences. HIGHWAY PATROL has refreshing bravery and honesty; it’s an intriguing exploration of online identity and the connections that might be found, or that we seek to find, on our social media profiles and in our DMs. 

HIGHWAY PATROL runs through February 18, 2024 in the Albert Theatre at Goodman Theatre, 170 North Dearborn. Tickets are $25 - $90. 

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