by Nicholas Whittaker

‘The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart’ – Written by David Greig. Directed by Danielle Fauteux Jacques. Music Direction and Sound Design by David Reiffel. Stage Manager/Choreographer: Christie Lee Gibson. ASM: Robin Mackey. Costume Design. Elizabeth Rocha. Set/Lighting Design: Danielle Fauteux Jacques. Dialect Coach: Christopher Sherwood Davis. Box Office Manager: Nina Weiss. Presented by Apollinaire Theatre Company at Chelsea Theater Works through May 4th.

            When one walks into the theater for The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart, they should be forgiven for thinking that they were in the wrong place. Rather than standing before a standard stage, one finds themselves surrounded by long wooden benches and stools, with a beer-and-wine stocked bar to one side. The cast loudly sings traditional Scottish melodies in the corner, and the buzzing room feels more like a warmly-lit tavern than a playhouse minutes before a show begins. This kind of transformational power is the calling card of Apollinaire Theatre Company’s production, The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart. With tremendous wit, elegance, and bawdy energy, the play rethinks the theatrical and dramatic tradition, combining the past and future in a thrilling exploration of the power and complexity of narrative.

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