Review: HART ISLAND at The Gym at Judson

The new play Hart Island recently opened at The Gym at Judson in New York City's West Village neighborhood, bringing with it an impressive set design and a memorable story. It was written by Tracy Weller, the founder of the theater company Mason Holdings, and directed by Kristjan Thor. The press release described the plays as a "multimedia theatrical meditation on New York City's potter's field" and delivers just that and then some.

Upon entering The Gym at Judson you're instantly confronted with an installation that appears to be some sort of archeological pit. There are tall structures on either side with mulch in-between. Seemingly random items are peaking out of that mulch: a lifeguard's rescue vest, a cooler, a child's stuffed rabbit. But the installation gives you a heaviness before the show even starts.

In the middle and perched higher than the mulch pit, there is a tower overlooking it all. Our narrator (Weller herself) eventually makes her way inside and we soon realize it is not a watchtower but a sound-proof room where she discusses the history of Hart Island and Rikers for a fictional documentary. We learn the history behind the potter's field where many New Yorkers were buried in unmarked graves years ago and more recently during the AIDS epidemic and COVID 19 pandemic. While the narrator takes us on this historic journey, we witness her choking up as she reads off the statistics and describes the lives that were lost and the families that never got a chance to say their goodbyes.

Images are sprawled along the front and sides of the sound booth as our narrator speaks, showing off maps and old photos of New York and its many islands. We are later introduced one by one to the other characters played by Julie Asriyan, Nora Cole, Jimmy Crowell II, James Foster Jr., Daniel Kublick, David Samuel. Here, we meet a woman whose baby was buried on Hart Island and a former inmate who helped dig the graves, and their images are also projected on the screens around them as they tell their individual story that relates to Hart Island. As each story unfolds, we begin to understand how each character's lives interconnect and they are not as alone as they appear, giving us, the audience, hope about humanity itself.

Similar to the set design, the play is heavy. There is a lot of emotion on the stage that can take some time to settle. The stories of these characters and of the history of Hart Island stick with you well after you leave that gym. It's the bodies that are buried there that haunt you, yes, but so much more. There is a lighter reflection here too. A sense of how tragedy can bring us all together no matter our background, and unite us in a way we never felt possible. There are many references here to COVID and the continuous issues faced during this pandemic, but the core of this play really highlights humanity's strength to be there for one another.

Hart Island is currently running at The Gym at Judson from now until April 9th. More information and tickets can be found here.

Photo courtesy of Jimmy Crowell II, James Foster Jr., Nora Cole, David Samue

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