I was a tad uneasy when I went to go see “The Hourglass Project,” not quite sure what to expect.
However I was pleasantly surprised at how much I wound up enjoying it.
While it’s not the next “Phantom,” there are numerous aspects to the play that are appealing, and it even surprised me with how it ended.
The play opens on an island in the middle of a lake, with six people waking up from a intense experimental medical procedure, which rendered the formerly dying 80 year olds into robust 20 year olds.
The play follows the characters as they come to terms with their reduced age, all with a playful sense of humor.
It was a very intriguing set up, even if the basic concept has been done before.
However, The Hourglass Project does get the distinction of focusing more on the psychological ramifications of becoming younger, rather than the physical effects like Doctor Who’s The Lazarus Experiment.
Acting-wise the show was perfectly fine.
Courtesy University of Tulsa
Every person was believable in their roles and no one broke character.
As far as the characters themselves go, the Brightfields were the most annoying.
Yes, they are supposed to be unlikeable. No they are not supposed to get on one’s nerves every second they’re on stage.
The Brightfields were overly happy and by far the loudest characters in terms of volume. It was a matter of preference, but less is sometimes more.
The set was well designed and very versatile.
Kudos to whoever made the decision to alter the level light depending on the time of day the scene takes place.
Sound effects were sparse.
The only real one would be the gunshots from the Brightfields introduction, but they were well done.
On the whole, this is a very enjoyable play.
The production values were excellent, the casting top notch, and concept intriguing.
While it does lose points for being a tad aggravating at times, it more than makes up for it with the twist ending.
I give it 3.9 out of 5 stars.
