Opened: October 17, 2021

Book by: Lucas Hnath

Based on Interviews Between: Dana Higginbotham & Steve Cosson

Original Broadway Cast: Deirdre O’Connell

Based on the harrowing true story of its titular character, Dana H. will shock and sicken its audience with very little action being seen onstage.

In 1997, Dana Higginbotham (Deirdre O’Connell) was held hostage for five months by former patient and White Supremacist Jim.

Playwright Lucas Hnath treats this piece with extreme care and dignity as Higginbotham is his mother.

What’s unique about this play is that O’Connell never utters a word. Instead, the entire dialogue is formed by fragments of an interview that Higginbotham completed with Steve Cosson. O’Connell does more than lip-synch though, her facial expressions portray all the fear and occasional humor Dana feels.

The set design is kept minimal with O’Connell sitting center stage in a non-descript motel that could be anywhere in the world.

Final say: A tour-de-force performance by O’Connell. ★★★★☆