The Holes Off-Broadway Reviews

I’m interested in the play about how Martha and Carson continue to survive in a town once the Wesleys show up and try to take over; in the play about how Joey got out but never got away. But in The Holes as it is, the Beavis and Butthead of it all ...

I’m interested in the play about how Martha and Carson continue to survive in a town once the Wesleys show up and try to take over; in the play about how Joey got out but never got away. But in The Holes as it is, the Beavis and Butthead of it all never left me.

That the mystery behind The Holes isn’t terrifying so much as it is silly isn’t a problem: Anything can feel life-altering and scary when treated with so much reverence, and if the play had leaned into the ridiculous the whole time, I would’ve ...

That the mystery behind The Holes isn’t terrifying so much as it is silly isn’t a problem: Anything can feel life-altering and scary when treated with so much reverence, and if the play had leaned into the ridiculous the whole time, I would’ve been happy to dive in headfirst. Sound designer Brandon Bulls and composer Zack Villere do their best to make the everyday feel ominous with their confidently creepy effects, but those effects need to be played for more than just scene transitions to cement the play’s tone.

One more caveat: “The Holes” has an ambitious ending that is extremely tricky to achieve. It doesn’t pull that off, either on the page or on the stage. But I’m betting you won’t mind much. This is a strange and surprising yarn, meticulously...

One more caveat: “The Holes” has an ambitious ending that is extremely tricky to achieve. It doesn’t pull that off, either on the page or on the stage. But I’m betting you won’t mind much. This is a strange and surprising yarn, meticulously unspooled. And that is more than plenty.

So if The Holes has a great hook and a strong engine, why does it often feel as if it is idling in place? As good as Friedlich is at crafting a superstructure of pitch and theme, he’s less sure about filling in the details of character and pacing. ...

So if The Holes has a great hook and a strong engine, why does it often feel as if it is idling in place? As good as Friedlich is at crafting a superstructure of pitch and theme, he’s less sure about filling in the details of character and pacing. His director, Michael Herwitz, who also worked with Friedlich on Job, directs the play with an eye toward naturalism, as when the play starts with a slow, simmering encounter between Weiler’s Joey and Coleman’s big-city interloper on a cold winter night, or when Joey and Martha go back and forth talking about the bar’s good old days.