THE HANGOVER REPORT – THE STRANGE UNDOING OF PRUDENCIA HART returns to the McKittrick, where it once again casts an intoxicating spell

A scene from the National Theatre of Scotland’s production of “The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart” by David Greig and Wils Wilson at the McKittrick Hotel (photo courtesy of the McKittrick Hotel).

Last night, the National Theatre of Scotland’s immersive production of The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart triumphantly returned to New York for a limited engagement at the McKittrick Hotel’s Club Car (the production had previously played at the atmospheric Chelsea venue in 2016 and won the 2017 Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience). Written by David Greig and Wils Wilson, the play tells the story of one Prudencia Hart, an academic whose staunchly traditional views on literary aesthetic is “undone” by an encounter of the most diabolical kind.

I had first seen the unique production when it toured Washington, DC way back in 2012. Since then, I’ve been smitten by this quirky and redemptive tale, which in many ways resembles the dramatic arc of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Throughout, Greig and Wilson’s narrative – which is written in wittily construed verse – is skillfully and playfully plotted, making ingenious use of the immersive cabaret/pub-like environment and festive live music (the musical direction by Alasdair Macrae) to ensure that the audience is an active participant of the storytelling (the direction is credited to Wilson). Even when it takes a darker, supernatural turn, The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart invariably casts an intoxicating spell.

The current mounting at the McKittrick is just as captivating as I remember it to be, and it’s the perfect live entertainment for a blustery winter’s night. In some sort of theatrical alchemy (perhaps compounded by nicely curated drinks from the bar), the ensemble cast of just five – the exceptional current crop includes Ewan Black, Charlene Boyd, Charlie West, Natali McCleary, and Gavin Jon Wright – have somehow found a way to seemingly multiply themselves into much larger company. I suppose that’s the magic of theater, which this production most certainly epitomizes.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

THE STRANGE UNDOING OF PRUDENCIA HART
Off-Broadway, Play
The McKittrick Hotel / The National Theatre of Scotland
2 hours, 15 minutes (with one intermission)
Through April 30

Categories: Off-Broadway, Theater

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