The Obie Award-winning production of GRIEF HOTEL from Clubbed Thumb's acclaimed Summerworks returns for a limited engagement at The Public.
Loss is fast, but grief is slow. Aunt Bobbi’s going to try to make everyone feel better, even though her parties are cursed.
Written by Liza Birkenmeier and directed by Tara Ahmadinejad, both of whom received Obie Awards for their work on this production, GRIEF HOTEL features the original cast: Susan Blommaert, Nadine Malouf, Bruce McKenzie, Ana Nogueira, Susannah Perkins and Naren Weiss.
On the surface, this salacious cross-pollination might sound entertaining, but without enough exploration of these people or enough time to invest in the mess of their affairs, “Grief Hotel” feels more like a vague social experiment about impulse and desire than a provocative, character-driven piece of theater.
Playwright Liza Birkenmeier doesn’t make it immediately easy to grasp the gist of her quirky play, Grief Hotel. It starts with Aunt Bobbi – Susan Blommaert, queen of the deadpan delivery – planted in her armchair stage left. Updating the layout after the show’s fleeting premiere at the cramped Wild Project last summer, the design collective dots has sliced the Public’s smallest stage into a sharp, shallow wedge, lending the fast-paced, one-act play – deftly directed by Tara Ahmadinejad – a splayed, in-your-face feel.
2024 | Off-Broadway |
Clubbed Thumb Off-Broadway Production Off-Broadway |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2024 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Direction of a Play | Tara Ahmadinejad |
2024 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Production of a Play | Grief Hotel |
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