Hurricane Diane at Iron Crow Theatre

Hurricane Diane at Iron Crow Theatre

TheatreBloom rating:

OK, listen up folks.  Do you believe climate change is real?  Do you have a penchant for HGTV?  Do you secretly binge watch “Real Housewives of New Jersey”?  If the answer is yes, have I got a show for you!  Even if the answer is no to all or at least one of those questions, Iron Crow Theatre’s production of Hurricane Diane is one that promises to please nonetheless.  And make you laugh.  And make you think.  The third production in Iron Crow’s self-named “Season of Defiance”, Pulitzer-finalizing playwright Madeleine George’s Hurricane Diane tells the story of the Greek Demigod Dionysus (Diane) who returns to earth in modern times as a butch permaculture gardener with a mission to save the human race from eventual destruction due to continued climate change caused by the very humans she has come to rescue.  It’s a noble cause, but in order to effect said rescue she must woo and convert four New Jersey housewives on a suburban cul-de-sac into her disciples.  Will she succeed?  Will these women give in?  Will Diane save the world? 

Hurricane Diane at Iron Crow Theatre
Hurricane Diane at Iron Crow Theatre

Director Natka Bianchini has a keen understanding of George’s play, inspired by the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy in 2012.  Bianchini has assembled an all-female cast of tremendous talent to tell the story and knows how to delicately balance the show’s humor with the somber message that runs throughout.  Namely, that if we humans don’t get serious, we will continue to experience floods, fires, and other climate catastrophes that could eventually mean the end of life as we know it.  We owe it to our children, and our children’s children, to save and protect mother earth from the man-made effects that are causing some of the most devastating warming trends to date.  Bianchini succeeds in telling the story by working closely with the actors to effectively showcase each of their individual character’s personalities so that they intertwine and connect with each other in such a way that their differences, vulnerabilities, and hidden aspects of their lives balance the plot.  Curtain call on opening night was greeted by a standing ovation, and Bianchini deserves credit for this well directed production.

Set Designer Rowan Suder has constructed an effective modern kitchen which serves as the focal point of the entire show (no scene changes).  Sometimes simple is best, and George’s script calls for all of the action to occur in the kitchen.  A kitchen where the four main characters meet weekly to share cups of coffee and the woes of their respective lives.  It’s clear early on that this kitchen could be in any one of the ladies’ homes since we learn that women’s houses all share similar floor plans.  The audience knows which home they are in based on who is in the kitchen at the time.  The communal kitchen scenes could take place in any of them, but no matter.  It’s an effective, well-built piece that conveys middle-class angst at its best.  A comfy, safe-haven where bonds are formed, relationships are nurtured, and where Diane tries to seduce (er, convert) them to help her in her quest.

Costume designer Heather Johnson outfitted the women of the neighborhood well, in modern outfits becoming of each character.  Whether its Diane’s blue collar landscape garb complete with work boots and socks, Carol’s slacks, blouse and slip-on shoes to Melanie’s tight form-fitting leopard (snow leopard, thank you) print dress and high heels, each outfit is reflective of the personality of the person they adorn.  Lighting Designer Janine Vreatt makes effective use of light whether it’s a simple spot following Diane as she walks around telling her story to the audience, backlighting the garden/shrubbery outside the window/patio doors or the lightning when the final storm hits.  Speaking of storm, Sound Designer Jane Schwartz brings some very realistic storm sound effects that are eerie, mood setting, and perfectly balances the action that is going on at the time.

A Demigod (an offspring of a God and a mortal) to be reckoned with, Diane (played by Sabriaya Shipley) is breathtakingly butch, complete with an outfit befitting any cliché lesbian landscaper (except when she reveals herself as a God and dons a beautiful dress that would make any Mt. Olympus female God blush with envy).   Shipley is a born storyteller, and from the beginning regales the audience with stories of how things used to be and why she feels compelled to return.  Whether she is trying to convince the ladies to hire her to make over their lawns or trying her best at getting them to give in to her will so that her ultimate plan can be carried out, Shipley takes charge of her scenes and keeps us abreast of her progress every step of the way.  The attempts to initiate the women make for some great comedy and serve as important exposition as we continue to learn more about what makes these ladies tick.  Shipley carries the show’s plot forward, from retrospective entrance to powerful exit. 

Hurricane Diane at Iron Crow Theatre.
Hurricane Diane at Iron Crow Theatre.

Speaking of ladies, these ladies of the cul-de-sac are truly a tour-de-force of good acting and great comedy.  Why four?  Only playwright Madeleine George knows.  One thought that crossed my mind was the biblical reference to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (but in this case, the coming apocalypse is said to be coming due to man’s insensitivity to his environment), but it’s up to interpretation, which is the case for so much of this show and one of the reasons it’s so compelling.  One walks away with many questions, and the answers, while no doubt random & up to the individual, could all have relevance.  But nonetheless, four ladies there are and, oh my, they would give any Real Housewives a run for their money.  While watching them, one can’t help but hearing the song in their head “Ladies Who Lunch” from Sondheim’s Company.

Tall, blonde, and neurotic, Carol (played by Melinda Nanovsky) is your typical white, suburban, SUV-driving mother and wife who is trapped in a loveless marriage but clinging to whatever she can to keep body and soul together, whether it’s the curb appeal of her home or that elusive wrought iron bench, to remind herself that she is alive.  Her bombastic facial expressions and mannerisms are comedic gold which has the audience laughing from the start.  But, as with all these four women, she has a stubborn, darker side and presents Diane with her biggest challenge as the only neighbor who doesn’t see eye-to-eye with Diane’s “vision” for making over her yard.  There’s always one in the crowd, right?  Well, Carol is that one and Nanovsky plays her with such incredible quirky sincerity and realism that you can’t help but not feel for her situation and wonder what made her that way.  Follow her from beginning to end, and you will walk away with some of those aforementioned questions on your mind, but her character is pivotal to the plot line for reasons which becomes apparent as the show progresses.

Coming off the heels (pun intended) of Iron Crow’s “Head Over Heels”, where she played the Queen, Hana Clarice plays Beth Wann.  Walking around in what appears to be a valium-induced haze in the early part of the show, we quickly learn that Beth’s husband has left her, she may have to sell her house, and she is…well…pitiful.  Beth wants to be freed, and practically throws her very soul at Diane as if begging for deliverance.  Clarice knows how to play the subtext well, and one can’t help but feel sorry for her.   I found Beth to be one of the most complex of the characters, and Clarice delivers a powerful soliloquy after her bout with Diane when she comes in, sans wig, and gives the audience a glimpse into her past.  Clarice is captivating to watch and her transition, as with the other women who fall prey to Diane’s spell, is both dramatic and freeing.

Renee (played by Kayla Leacock) is an HGTV magazine editor with a passion for environmental change.  Leacock endears the audience to her plight as a top-level, woman-of-color executive who, like her neighbors, has her own share of drama.  She struggles to get her employer to accept her vision of the direction to take the publication, but this need for acceptance goes much further.  When confronted with the prospect of Diane possibly shacking up with Beth, Leacock unleashes a fit of jealousy cloaked by concern that dramatically underscores Renee’s need to be taken seriously, heard and, most importantly, loved.   As with Beth’s character, she doffs her wig after her final interaction with Diane, a move symbolic of letting go of prior inhibitions and freeing the inner self.  Leacock can run with the best of them as a housewife with issues and, being the one most concerned about the effects of climate change and receptive to Diane’s gardening ideas, Leacock’s portrayal of Renee’s pent-up frustrations to her eventual freeing is almost palpable.

Lastly, Pam (played by Melanie Kurstin) is like a cross between Snookie (Jersey Shore) & Theresa Caputo (the Long Island Medium) complete with a “shore” accent and sufficiently brusque Italian attitude.  Kurstin’s Pam is not afraid of speaking her mind, sometimes to a fault.  But she is not without a heart and knows when she crosses the line even though it’s hard for her not to do so.  Even when she apologizes for her words, she has an excuse for why she said what she did.  Her loud brashness is eclipsed only by the walls she puts up that no one (at least for a while) can seem to penetrate.  We learn later that the last storm (Hurricane Sandy) upended her world and much of who she is today is because of the vulnerability she felt during that terrible time.  But there is so much more to Pam, and Kurstin takes the audience on a powerful journey from tough talking gal to redemption and does so with such poise and posture that has the audience wondering if she can ever be cracked by Diane.

Will Diane accomplish her task?  Will she be able to convert these four New Jersey housewives and save the planet?  Does mixing Greek mythology with a lesbian permaculture gardener and four women living in tract houses on a quiet cul-de-sac in Jersey work? There’s only one way to find out.  But the message is clear.  Just as the production’s fictional storm is foreshadowed and grows throughout the show, there is a real storm coming.  The end of the show will leave the patron in a different place then they were when it started, and with many questions deserving of thought, both by the individual and by the world’s leaders.  Diane’s hurricane is coming, and her quest is not only the subject of a play but of a rallying cry of survival for the human race.  This is a fantastic piece of theatre, relevant to our time and crafted by a cast of brilliantly talented actors and directed with heart.  But don’t delay. 

Running Time: Approximately 100 minutes with no intermission

Hurricane Diane plays January 20th through February 5th 2023 with Iron Crow Theatre in residence at Baltimore Theatre Project— 45 W. Preston Street in the Mt. Vernon district of Baltimore, MD. Tickets are available by calling the box office at 410-752-8558 or in advance online.

To read the interview with Director Natka Bianchini, click here.


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