9 / 10
It is not just lip-syncing, though, which implies a very basic act of impersonation or mimicry. For one, O'Connell masters every rustle, movement of the body, caught breath, laugh, rise of emotion. Every sound that is on tape, every pause, everything is replicated by her. But she also inhabits the character of Higginbotham commandingly too, sitting there, facing us.
8 / 10
Call it Thriller Karaoke, a form in which the story is almost as dangerous as the mode of storytelling. You worry that O'Connell will fall out of sync with the recording, which never stops once the play begins. Gradually, though, as her inerrancy becomes clear, you let go of that concern and switch to related ones: Why tell the story this way in the first place? What do you get from the astonishing feat, besides astonishment, that you wouldn't get if the same material had been acted out as it might be in a typically effective television procedural?
Dana H., by Obie Award winner Lucas Hnath and directed by Obie Award winner Les Waters, opened earlier this week on October 17, at Broadway's Lyceum Theatre, playing on a rotating schedule with Is This a Room. Deirdre O'Connell reprises her Obie Award-winning performance.
Dana H., by Obie Award winner Lucas Hnath and directed by Obie Award winner Les Waters, just opened last night, October 17, at Broadway's Lyceum Theatre, playing on a rotating schedule with Is This a Room. BroadwayWorld was on hand for the big night and we're taking you inside the curtain call!
Dana H. officially opens on October 17, on Broadway at the Lyceum Theatre. Meet the cast and learn more about who is starring in this new play!
Dana H., by Obie Award winner Lucas Hnath and directed by Obie Award winner Les Waters, opens tonight, October 17, at Broadway's Lyceum Theatre, playing on a rotating schedule with Is This a Room.
Previews for Is This A Room begin September 24, 2021, with an opening night scheduled for October 11, 2021. Previews for Dana H. begin October 1, 2021, with an opening night scheduled for October 17, 2021. The two productions will play alternating performances for a 17-week engagement through January 16, 2022.
| 2020 | Off-Broadway |
Vineyard Off-Broadway Premiere Off-Broadway |
| Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Awards | Deirdre O'Connell |
| 2022 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Production of a Play | Dana H. |
| 2022 | Tony Awards | Best Direction of a Play | Les Waters |
| 2022 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play | Deirdre O'Connell |
| 2022 | Tony Awards | Best Sound Design of a Play | Mikhail Fiksel |
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