Arts » News

A Powerful Hurricane Diane

by Jules Becker
Saturday Sep 11, 2021

Jennifer Bubriski and Rami Margron in Huntington production of Hurricane Diane. Photo: T Charles Erickson
Jennifer Bubriski and Rami Margron in Huntington production of Hurricane Diane. Photo: T Charles Erickson  

Indoor theater is finally making a comeback in Boston, and the forecast for live theater is bright despite COVID-19. Boasting strict safety regulations for venues and people alike, the Calderwood Pavilion is hosting the Hub premiere of a smart 2019 play by Madeleine George. Make no mistake about her Off-Broadway hit "Hurricane Diane." While this Euripides-inspired effort may not be a theatrical eye of the storm, a crack Huntington Theatre cast makes the company's 40th anniversary opener a generally engaging no-intermission 90-minute howler.
Euripides buffs will appreciate George's transformation of the menacing god of agriculture, wine and song Dionysus of "The Bacchae" into a gender-bending demi-god turned climate change-fighting gardener named Diane. After a back story stay in Burlington, Vermont, Diane has arrived on the down low at what she considers the "perfect spot" to start her crusade to save the planet—namely suburban Red Bank, Monmouth County, New Jersey. Initially sporting a red armor-like garment befitting a god—credit designer Hahnji Jang's vivid costumes for her and the humans alike, Diane dons a fittingly green gardener's outfit for her undercover odyssey.
That odyssey entails convincing four wives—neighbors and friends who happen to reside in the same cul-de-sac setting—to turn their well-manicured lawns "slowly suffocating the earth" into a "lush primeval forest." The women in question—Carol, Beth, Renee and Pam—live in similarly structured homes with identical kitchen islands. While they seem to prize their suburban lifestyles, the differences between them confront Diane with diverse challenges as she implements her agenda.
Diane may compliment Carol's "pretty mouth," but the skeptical latter—who depends on HGTV and the latest landscaping ideas—senses that this atypical gardener is "more of a forest ranger" and is 'hitting' on her. Vulnerable Beth—whose husband has left her—proves more open to Diane's unconventional approaches. Renee—who edits the HG magazine Carol loves—has lived on a commune and displays both a free spirit and sexual fluidity. No nonsense Pam is as prepared for storms and unexpected circumstances as a weather wizard, but the enterprising demi-god looks to find her proverbial Achilles heel.
Does Diane transform the world? Playwright George provides detailed if somewhat predictable philosophical as well as sexual successes for the environmentalist god with Beth, Renee and Pam (each 'victory' benefitting from Jen Schriever's radiant lighting and Ben Scheff's strong sound design). As for adamant Carol, her opposition to Diane becomes a storm in its own right—resistance that she calls the "biggest organism."
What makes George's sometimes set-up scenario absorbing is a first-rate ensemble under Jenny Koons' taut direction. Rami Margron has all of Diane's charisma, swagger and tenacity. Marianna Bassham is touching as lost soul Beth. Kris Sidberry captures Renee's individuality as well as her malleability. Jennifer Bubriski is properly amusing and resourceful as Pam. Esme Allen has the right fiery attitude with Diane, especially as the demigod's fury unleashes the climactic storm.
That extended storm should be the actual ending of the play rather than a theatrically softening poetic speech by Beth-admittedly rendered with pathos by gifted Bassham. (Theatergoers familiar with the powerful Tony-winning Broadway revival of "Journey's End" will remember experiencing the unending bombs of World War I in a darkened theater as though they were soldiers). The climate change battle ought to have the force of Euripides. Instead, "Hurricane Diane" is a lively, often humorous fantasy that ultimately loses some intensity.