When writer Suzanne Alexander (Audra McDonald) returns to her alma mater as a guest speaker, in which she explores the violence in her works, a dark mystery unravels. Adrienne Kennedy's Ohio State Murders is an intriguing and unusual suspense play, as well as a social pertinent look at the destructiveness of racism in our society.
Kenny Leon’s production focuses a bit too much on memory and not enough on the imagined present, to my mind. The tension that Kennedy built into the piece would be more palpable if, for a second, we believe that Hampshire will be good for Suzanne, but the conclusions here always appear foregone. If Pinkham softened his character some in the early stages of the piece, that would help bring about the twisting agony of disappointed expectations. But McDonald, clearly laboring of love here, is just wonderful in this part. On Beowulf Borit’s fractured, dislocated set, she shares her final bow with an image of Kennedy, a prescient writer, perhaps born too soon in America but still having flourished, notwithstanding all that her now regretful university put in her way.
Hers is clearly a performance that goes beyond the written words in the script. McDonald’s performance also has that veracity that comes from basing her character on a living person, in this case, Kennedy herself. The actor replicates the playwright’s halting, carefully modulated delivery. It’s as if McDonald is rewriting every line a few times before she actually says it out loud. “Ohio State Murders” features four other actors, but as powerfully staged here by Leon, it is a one-person show starring McDonald.
2007 | Off-Broadway |
Off-Broadway |
2022 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2023 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play | Audra McDonald |
2023 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Lighting Design of a Play | Allen Lee Hughes |
2023 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Play | Ohio State Murders |
2023 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Scenic Design of a Play | Beowulf Boritt |
2023 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Sound Design of a Play | Justin Ellington |
2023 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Play | Ohio State Murders |
2023 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Lead Performer in a Broadway Play | Audra McDonald |
2023 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Play | Ohio State Murders |
2023 | Tony Awards | Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Play | Audra McDonald |
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