WATER BY THE SPOONFUL by Quiara Alegria Hudes is an intelligent and entertaining play dealing with themes of love and family.

Relationships with various family members and other characters in the play are seriously tested and considered on a very thoughtful level by the ramifications of crack addiction and the attempts to stay clean and assist others with the same addiction.

Odessa runs a web based support network for crack users attempting to stay clean of the drug. We meet some really interesting characters who have been clean for various periods. The devices they use to stay clean are entertaining and allow for some meaningful, poignant and amusing discussions to take place.

Odessa’s sister has just died and how the other members of the family deal with this death, and the role of Odessa in their lives, is an intense and complex story. Odessa was originally a generous and inspirational person but her crack addiction was poisonous and destructive.

There are strong performances from all the actors: Liza Colon-Zayas, Frankie Faison, Zabryna Guevara, Bill Heck, Sue Jean Kim, Armando Riesco and Ryan Shams.

Director Davis McCallum is to be congratulated. Neil Patel’s set is of the highest quality and is matched by excellent lighting from Russell
H. Champa and sound from Joshua Schmidt.

This is a recent Pulitzer Prize winning play and I thoroughly recommend it.

WATER BY THE SPOONFUL is currently running at the Second Stage Theatre, 305 West 43rd Street, New York.

© Mark Pigott

1st January, 2013

Tags: Theatre Reviews- WATER BY THE SPOONFUL, Quiara Alegria Hudes, Liza Colon Zaya, Frankie Faison, Zabryna Guevara, Bill Heek, Sue Jean Kim, Armando Riesco, Ryan Shams, David McCallum, Neil Patel, Russell H. Champa, Joshua Schmidt, Pulitzer Prize winner, Second Stage Theatre, New York, Sydney Arts Guide, Mark Pigott