Review: 2.5 MINUTE RIDE at Studio Theatre

Much like its mechanical namesake, Lisa Kron's 2.5 Minute Ride is a thrilling, jarring, exhilarating, stomach dropping experience - one that is perhaps made even more so through this new production by Studio Theatre and director Joanie Schultz.

The Obie Award winning, autobiographical piece is at once both sweeping and intimate in its gaze. Lisa, played to perfect pitch by Dina Thomas, explores her relationship with her father, a German Jewish immigrant to the US, simultaneously through the lens of two family pilgrimages: an annual trip to the Cedar Point amusement park and a once-in-a-lifetime, father-daughter visit to Auschwitz. As the viewer, we are invited in to what is sacred space for Lisa and Thomas delivers her story in a myriad of emotions. We are drawn into this family's very personal story, while understanding that there are thousands of these stories in thousands of families - maybe even our own.

Studio's production leans into the virtual theatre space, reimagining the piece in a way that would be hard to capture with an in-person audience. The use of various angles and split screens allows the viewer an almost 360-degree access to the story, both in the physical sense and in a more visceral, emotional one. The fragmented videography plays into the fragmented nature of memory and how the exact same experience can be viewed from multiple perspectives. The nebulous, ethereal nature of the photos and videos used throughout invite the viewer to imagine their own loved ones and to explore their own personal feelings.

Without a doubt, this production is one of the most successful adaptations to the virtual theatre space that this reviewer has encountered over the past year. It goes beyond just a filmed version of a live play and embraces this New Medium in a truly moving way.

That said, there are some limitations that are worth noting. As the play begins and Lisa enters, we miss the ambient noise that you would experience seeing the show live as she fiddles with equipment and set pieces. No doubt this is most likely a deliberate choice for sound editing purposes, but it had me checking the sound on my device several times. While captioning is very welcome, it is, at times, incorrect or misleading. For the most part, this did not change the experience of the play itself, but there were a few key moments where if one was relying entirely on the captioning, they would be missing out or potentially confused.

2.5 Minute Ride is streaming on-demand through May 23, 2021 and is intended for mature audiences. Run time is approximately 75 minutes. Captioning is available. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit studiotheatre.org.

Cast

Lisa Dina Thomas

Creative Team

Writer Lisa Kron

Director Joanie Schultz

Lighting Design Sherrice Mojgani

Sound Design Matthew M. Nielsen

Production Stage Manager Allie Roy

Assistant Director Annabel Heacock

Director of Video Wes Culwell

Dramaturg Adrien-Alice Hansel

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