Review - Daphne's Dive

Someday, I should just do a post of all my favorite people who are also my favorite writers and that will get my predispositions out of the way.  Someday.  Until then, I will just continue to mention the writers, one by one, whose work I have enjoyed in the past and therefore assume I will enjoy their work again.  In perpetuity. So...after that build-up, I greatly enjoyed Water by the Spoonful and The Happiest Song Plays Last by Quiara Alegria Hudes, so I figured I would enjoy her newest play, Daphne's Dive, at my favorite spot, Signature Theatre.  Plus, I know Quiara slightly and she is a warm, lovely person, so that just adds to my 'positive opinion' mindset. And, again, I was not wrong.  

I love how Quiara's characters are so real and lived-in; I love her dialogue that has beauty and truth in it; I love her storytelling and her characters who are looking for a human connection; I love her empathy and I love her revealing of a culture I'm unfamiliar with.  I love how she takes the time to let us get to know the characters and feel like we're a part of the conversation.  Daphne's Dive had all of these wonderful traits, though I will admit to feeling the play was a little too short (what?!).  I could've used maybe one more scene between two of the characters, but I guess that would make it my play and not hers.

Daphne's Dive takes place in a bar in South Philly, where a merry band of regulars frequently stop for conversation and maybe a little bit of help. They've made themselves into a family, mainly because (as we gradually learn) their real families left lasting scars, both psychologically and physically.  There's not a lot of plot per se in Daphne's Dive, but there are stories and characters that are compelling to watch.  And all of the actors are fantastic.  They create fully-dimensional people with whom you empathize and connect with.  They make bad decisions and you forgive them. They show their vulnerabilities and their commitment to each other constantly.  

photo credit: Richard Termine

Daphne, played with great warmth and pain by Vanessa Aspillaga, is the proprietor of the bar and the de-facto den mother of these quirky misfits, though she fights her impulses to mother them until the frightened young Ruby enters her life.  Much of the play revolves around Ruby and her growth and evolution as she matures in the company of these adults who take her under their wings.  Samira Wiley is fantastic as Ruby and so moving. She convincingly plays Ruby from eleven years old up to her late 20s.  

Other cast members include Daphne Rubin-Vega as Daphne's upwardly mobile sister Inez, Carlos Gomez as Inez's husband (and I have to say I find Carlos Gomez to be wonderful in everything he does; his was my favorite performance in In the Heights and he's just as grand here), Matt Saldivar as a warm-hearted artist, Gordon Joseph Weiss as a biker/sage and KK Moggie as the quirky activist, Jenn.  Most of the play's poignancy is due to Jenn, her choices and their repercussions - she casts a large shadow over the proceedings.  This is a terrific ensemble and they all play off each other beautifully.

photo credit: Joan Marcus

Having said all that, I will admit that I would've liked maybe one more scene, maybe even another flashback, featuring the characters of Ruby and Jenn. Jenn makes such a strong impression on Ruby and affects her life so profoundly, yet we only see them share a personal conversation once.  Not that I can't buy their connection because I only saw them together once, and fairly big chunks of time happen between each scene, but it still would've been nice to see them connect at least one more time. But that's just a quibble. Mainly, the secrets and tragedies are parsed out in such a way that they're not shocking revelations that take you out of the story but are just other parts of these multi-faceted characters' lives that deserve consideration.

The physical production is grand, you're right in the middle of this bar and feel a part of the proceedings.  I was in the last row, so I had a good view of everything.  I think that some people in the front row had a harder time with sightlines, so that's something to keep in mind.  I liked the costumes very much, too, though Daphne Rubin-Vega was saddled with a couple of unfortunate wigs, in my opinion.  The sound design was terrific and the original music by Michel Camilo was grand - having the music supposedly come from the pianist who lives upstairs was a really lovely touch.  Daphne's Dive runs for another month, I think, so I suggest you get a ticket and live in this world yourself.

Seat neighbors:  my.  I took a lot of notes last night.  I will say, first off, that it looked like a Wednesday matinee crowd instead of a Thursday night crowd.  You know what I'm saying. Moving on.  There was the very nice lady who needed me to help her to her seat; the other very nice ladies who just couldn't see their seat/row numbers so I helped seat them because it was getting close to curtain and the ushers seemed overwhelmed; the very nice gentleman who just may have been hitting on me when he stopped to chat a little too long about how he was in the wrong section (I didn't figure it out until later, oh well); and the guy at the bookstore who would not get out of the way so I could pay for my treats and then he wouldn't sit down in the theater because he didn't like his seat. Sigh.  I will never get used to people who use their ticket/seat number as a suggested location instead of the one they paid for.  Oh, and I saw a strange sight in the subway station after the show:  a completely full antipasto platter was sitting on top of a garbage can at the Times Square station.  People kept slowing down to look at it, but nobody touched it.  All that prosciutto, going to waste.  Plus, there was a musician playing Christmas carols.  An odd commute home, that's all I'm saying...