The Sims, Sleepovers, and the Messiness of Being Thirteen
Written by Eliya Smith and directed by Chloe Claudel, Dad Don't Read This is a new play revolving around the friendship of four teenage girls and their obsession with The Sims.
The girls fit the usual stereotypes: the sporty one, the pretty one, the oddball, and then there's Mal. The entire play unfolds in her bedroom. We don't know much about Mal other than that her parents often fight, and her comments, both to her friends and her Sims, often careen past snarky into downright cruel territory.
Portrayed by Amalia Yoo, who anchors the play with great maturity and a watchable, open face, Mal seems to be dealing with a deep depression while searching for any sense of control. She stays home from school, barely eats, won't explain herself to her friends, and becomes a little too addicted to making her Sims "woo hoo."
The bedroom set isolates the girls in one space where their excitement and tension bounce off the walls, causing the energy to rise until there's nothing left to do but blow up, usually at each other. We witness their sleepovers, gossip, fights, and general shenanigans, as well as their horror stories.
Sophie Rossman's monologue describing a creepy instance of sexual harassment was both eerily familiar, probably to every woman watching, and an absolute masterclass in acting in the moment. It felt like she was finding a way to tell her friends this story for the first time. Her performance was natural, unforced, and I believed every word. I will be watching for more from her.
Credit: Maria Baranova
The lighting and sound cues were completely on point, and I was impressed by how in sync everything was with the performances onstage, especially for a sound-effect-heavy production. However, the seating layout in the venue was abysmal. With everyone seated on one level, half the stage was blocked by the tall person directly between me and the action. I can't have been the only audience member in this situation. Most of the staging appeared designed to work around this issue, but I still felt as though I missed several key moments when I couldn't see the actors' faces, particularly during scenes on the bed, the beanbag, or the floor.
The writing captured the dynamic of a young group of friends well. Conversations bounced between tangents, with one character talking over another in the relaxed, informal way that people who have grown up together can slip in and out of each other's lives. Their dialogue barreled along in a carefree and organic manner, emphasizing the strength of their bond.
Occasionally, though, this worked against the play. While the overlapping conversations contributed to a playful teenage atmosphere, they also made it impossible to decipher some of the lines. I often found myself wondering whether I'd missed a vital piece of information or whether the confusion was intentional.
There were also several transitions between scenes and moments of fourth-wall breaking where it became unclear what was happening. I can't be sure whether the issue lay in the writing or the staging, but these transitions slightly soured an otherwise highly accomplished piece of theatre.
The writing was consistently entertaining, the performances were high-energy and evocative of our own youth, and the cast did a fantastic job treating each moment with the appropriate weight while maintaining a sense of play. I look forward to seeing more from this writer-director duo and their actors.
Dad Don't Read This will be playing at Greenwich House Theater all summer.
