BWW Reviews: Bated Breath's HUNGER is Both Feast and Famine through October 2

The thing that makes immersive theatre like Sleep No More so beguiling is the complete submersion into the world of the play.  I am not sure Hunger knows what its world is yet as it is so busy commenting on facets of our world.  As this is a premiere, my hope is that Bated  Breath Theatre Company and Bilodeau continue to develop the piece to find the voice and the heart that lies at the knotty center of the play.  Drawing parallels between our national proclivity to crave empty calories while hungering for something more is worthwhile.  By decisively drawing her characters and honing the voice of the play, Bilodeau could have a keeper. 

Bated Breath has not let Bilodeau down as the production elements are more than fine.  The women's costumes literally drip chocolate and Charles's costume features chocolate-colored accents.  Kudos to Laura Crow and Sachiko Komuro for the effective and intriguing costuming.  Mike Billings' set is deceptively simple and serves the galleries well, minus setting the dance sequence in insufficient space.  The sound design by David Sanderson ricochets between cocktail music and electronic, only occasionally stumbling with some sound cue misfires at the performance I viewed.  The lighting design by Chad Lefebvre is a highlight with each space lit to maximum effect.

Despite my reservations about the play, Hunger is a commendable, complex and ambitious effort for a relative newcomer to the Hartford scene.  The production is something that a seasoned company would struggle to achieve after many years of work.  Here is hoping that Bated Breath becomes a mainstay of the community and continues to stretch the definition of theatre for a community bred on prosceniums and thrust spaces.  And here's hoping they continue serving chocolate.

Photo by Max Lipka