D.C. Stage Review: ‘There’s Always the Hudson’ at Woolly Mammoth
metroweekly.comThere’s Always the Hudson (★★★★☆) follows partners-in-crime Lola and T all over New York City in one turbulent night that could end anywhere in the five boroughs.Although, for Woolly Mammoth’s terrific world-premiere production, director Jess McLeod and scenic designer Misha Kachman have boldly suspended over the action a haunting clue of exactly where Lola and T’s odyssey might lead, foreshadowing a final destination from which one or both might not return.Whether apprehended or not, that hint won’t spoil a thing, but rather adds a tinge of pathos to the powerful undercurrent of danger bubbling beneath the pair’s audacious mission.
Lola and T, played by Lázaro and Justin Weaks, are sexual assault survivors who met and became friends in a support group. On this night, they’ve made a pact to confront the past traumas that still distress and consume them, by seeking revenge on those who did them harm.Lola and T both are brash and impulsive, and don’t make the wisest decisions, which, of course, makes them a deeply intriguing and entertaining twosome.
Thanks to skillful performances by Lázaro and Weaks, these avenging angels can be intensely righteous, totally wrong, or delightfully, excruciatingly messy, yet they’re still often hilarious.
And we feel their pain.Behind their jokes and sarcasm, each is processing a devastating violation of innocence and trust, trying to heal from crimes committed against their physical and emotional selves.
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