Review: THE THIN PLACE at ZACH

Lucas Hnath's play THE THIN PLACE premiered at the Humana Festival of New American plays in 2019. The play, involving parapsychology, revolves around the character Hilda, a psychic medium who claims to have a special connection to the spirit world. THE THIN PLACE delves into the blurred lines between reality and the supernatural as Hilda conducts seances and communicates with entities from the other side. The title refers to a concept found in folklore and mysticism, where a "thin place" is believed to be a location where the boundary between the physical world and the spiritual realm is particularly porous. Now playing at ZACH, Hnath’s THE THIN PLACE invites us into this in-between-world where, as director Richard Robichaux puts it, “questions will outnumber answers.”

As we enter the Kleburg Theatre we see little more than a black stage, a table flanked by two wingback chairs at its center. That’s it. Building a set such as this is not presumably difficult to execute, but it is crucial and restrained work from Iakov Doumanoff. Likewise the smart and unassuming costume design by Kristin Knipp. Lighting and sound, on the other hand, do have a little more lifting to do, and they’re done well by sound designer K. Eliot Haynes and Lighting Overhire Addie Dieke and Jacob Zamarripa. This is the kind of acknowledgment one usually finds later on in a review, but for THE THIN PLACE, their restraint sets the mood for a piece that is squared directly on the shoulders of the actors. The play is known for its thought-provoking and eerie atmosphere, prompting audiences to question the nature of reality and the existence of the supernatural. Hnath is recognized for his distinctive style and his ability to create intellectually stimulating works that challenge conventional narratives and THE THIN PLACE is true to this descriptor. But it is up to a talented cast to convince us of this place that most of us have only imagined.

Hilda (Katerina Papacostas) claims to have a special connection with the "thin place." To make meaning of a turbulent childhood that included a powerful mind-melding psychic exercise with her beloved grandmother, Hilda forms a close relationship with professional psychic, Linda (Elise Ogden). As the play unfolds, we learn Linda May or may not be what she seems, but whatever she does, she believes her motives are for the good of those she serves. Linda seems to show some paranormal gifts in an early scene with Hilda, whose introspective questioning drives the story to its creepy conclusion. But we’re led more plausibly to believe that Hilda truly hears things. Are these things of this world or another?

Playwright Lucas Hnath’s writing is sharp and engaging, if flawed, in its use of conventions that help us to map where we’re headed. There's a long scene in the middle of the play where we meet Linda’s nephew Jerry, (a cheery and robust Fernando Rivera) and Linda’s friend Sylvia (an irritable and elegant Danielle Bondurant).  Hnath makes compelling characters in them who serve only as a narrative device. The scene is interesting enough, but seems to stand between us and our desire to get where we want to go. We want to be taken to “the thin place.” Or perhaps it’s a scene to remind us of how, as director Robichaux puts it, “once we quiet the noise a bit, we actually start to hear things.”

Richard Robichaux’s direction is precise, sparse, and understated. It is the equivalent of what the fashion world is calling this season’s trend of “quiet luxury.” Classic and clean. The cast is practically flawless. Papacostas’ Hilda is at once wounded, courageous, introspective and strong. Ogden makes Linda charming and compelling. Linda is honest about herself, which is endearing, despite drawing us further toward skepticism. Papacostas’ Hilda, on the other hand, pulls us into the mystery of the thin place, the other side, to those that speak to us from beyond. 

The cast and crew of THE THIN PLACE is perfectly capable of getting us there. But just “where” is “there?” Where is this place between the worlds?

You’ll have to catch the show to find out.

THE THIN PLACE
by Lucas Hnath
Zach Theatre

Wednesdays-Sundays,
October 25 - November 26, 2023

Kleberg Stage, Zach Theatre
South Lamar Blvd at Riverside Drive
Austin, TX, 78704

Tickets available here

Photo Credit: Suzanne Cordeiro

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