Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – FIND ME HERE, Crystal Finn’s quirky family dramedy of manners, concludes Summerworks 2024

• By drediman
• June 26, 2024
• No Comments

Earlier this week, I found myself back at The Wild Project in the East Village to take in Crystal Finn’s Find Me Here, the closer of another successful iteration of Summerworks (it was preceded by T. Adamson’s Usus and Bailey Williams’ Coach Coach). The play’s premise is actually quite straightforward for a Summerworks offering — upon the death of their 100-year-old father, three middle aged women find themselves having to navigate the implications of the will he left behind, as well as renegotiate familial relationships in his absence.

In many ways, Find Me Here is a variation on the tried-and-true family drama formula. Where it attempts to distinguish itself is in its surreal and quirky touches — a slowly (and willfully) disappearing sister, a child without a physical stage presence, and so forth. Although they add texture to the play, its main narrative thrust could actually do with out these flourishes. In fact, the most memorable aspects of the play are its most conventional, namely the disarming matter-of-factness of the writing as it relates to the idiosyncrasies unique to familial bonds. Indeed, as an amusing family “dramedy” of manners, Find Me Here excels, both in its individual passing moments and as a wide-angle map of family dynamics.

Luckily, Caitlin Sullivan’s well-designed Clubbed Thumb production (the smart set is by the ubiquitous dots) is buoyed by a number of fantastic performances from its uncommonly deluxe cast, which includes the likes of Tony-winners Frank Wood and Miriam Silverman, as well as wonderful talents such as Shannon Tyo and Kyle Beltran. But perhaps the most memorable performances of the evening belong to the actresses playing the three sisters — Kathleen Tolan, Connie Schulman, and Lizbeth Mackay. Each imbue their portrayals with their own brand of world weariness that I found compelling.

RECOMMENDED

FIND ME HERE
Off-Broadway, Play
Clubbed Thumb’s Summerworks at The Wild Project
1 hour, 20 minutes (without an intermission)
Through June 29