Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – ruth tang’s WORK HARD HAVE FUN MAKE HISTORY kicks off Clubbed Thumb’s Summerworks in typically offbeat manner

• By drediman
• May 30, 2023
• No Comments

Last night at The Wild Project, I attended a performance of ruth tang’s Work Hard Have Fun Make History, the opening production of the 2023 edition of Clubbed Thumb’s Summerworks series (the 26th in the series!). In short, tang’s the new play follows handful of characters as they juxtapose the driving forces of modern living (e.g., Amazon-like commerce, social media, the Internet at large, remote interactions, etc.) and their inherent humanity and need to connect on a fundamental level.

For those of you familiar with the annual festival, you’ll be happy to know that this latest entry is just as offbeat, strangely hilarious, and investigatory as productions of past seasons. In a compact series of poetic, decidedly quirky scenes, tang paints the current state of affairs in broad, bold strokes. Although I would have preferred more concrete character development and a clearer narrative trajectory, there’s a certain allure in the playwright’s translucent, Beckett-ish way with dialogue — especially as enacted by the show’s trio of confident, pliable performances by b, Sagan Chen, and Susannah Perkins.

The production has been directed by Caitlin Sullivan, whose stylized staging echoes the play’s surreal, meditative bent. In her hands, the play inquisitively comes alive, complete with ample whizzing and whirring (the vibrant sound and lighting designs are by Lee Kinney and Isabella Byrd, respectively). Also as per usual for a Summerworks offering, Work Hard Have Fun Make History has been given a polished physical production courtesy of design collective dots, which is especially impressive given the short length of its run.

After tonight’s final performance, Summerworks continues with Abe Koogler’d Deep Blue Sound (June 5-15) and Liza Birkenmeier’s Grief Hotel (June 21-July 1) — both will also be presented at The Wild Project in the East Village.

RECOMMENDED

WORK HARD HAVE FUN MAKE HISTORY
Off-Broadway, Play
Clubbed Thumb at The Wild Project
1 hour, 20 minutes (without an intermission)
Through May 30