BWW Reviews: THE TYPOGRAPHER'S DREAM is Missing a Story

The Typographer's Dream directed by Matt Bassett at the Hub Theatre, is an introspective journey of a geographer (Jenna Sokolowski), a stenographer (Daniel Corey), and a typographer (Katie Nigsch).

Although, "journey" might not be the right word; it seemed better than "narrative." In this piece, the three actors are on stage wrestling with the ideas of loving their jobs and being more than their job. It is about seeking and struggling with self-identity. The goal of the play is a reasonable one and one in which audiences can likely relate to. However, perhaps because I have not yet entered the professional job field, it was not a show that I felt was well-expressed.

During most of the play, I just had this nagging feeling of "why produce this show?" I see the connection people can make with it, yes. Beyond that notion I was lost. I did not understand why the playwright, Adam Bock, decided to end with minimal character resolution. In some instances this works, but the one resolution Bock provided felt lazy and as if he just did not feel like writing anymore. This is why "journey" might not be the best way to describe this show. The characters did not go through a whole self-journey, which was problematic for me. Moreover, I do not think the title The Typographer's Dream is a good representation of the show as a whole.

I also had trouble with some of the acting. I had a hard time understanding if the actors were interacting with the audience, each other, or even both. At times, I was not even sure if they knew. I felt like there was little in between emotion; the characters were either at a "one" or a "ten." Most of the time, although they were energetic, Sokolowski was too nuts and Nigsch was too mousy. In their ending monologues when both characters were on emotional edges, there was suddenly just a lot of yelling. It did not feel honest. Corey was an exception. He made his character a real person and through the stenographer's flaws Corey made the audience laugh and maybe even a little sad. Although, the problem still remained that even though I liked Corey's work the most, the end of the show fell flat.

The shows production design was nice and minimal. The set, designed by Elizabeth Muller, was mostly blank except for the three actor's desks. I enjoyed the map-like quality of the floor as it was a reflection of the piece. I also liked the scene/location separation created by the sound design (Patrick Calhoun). It was clever and the sound choices were pleasantly quirky.

Overall, the show just lacked something. A majority I believe was the script; however the directorial choices did not bring the show together as a cohesive unit. It left me unsure and unsatisfied.

The Typographer's Dream runs at the Hub Theatre, 9431 Silver King Court Fairfax, Virginia 22031, through May 3. Tickets can be purchased on their website.

Runtime is approximately 80 minutes without an intermission.

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