""Ms. Hudes writes with such empathy and vibrant humor about people helping one another to face down their demons that regeneration and renewal always seem to be just around the corner."--The New York Times. Through years of drinking together at Daphne's Dive, a cheap bar on the corner in North Philly, a makeshift family has grown out of the misfit collection of eclectic regulars. Daphne, the eponymous owner of this ramshackle home, tends bar and frequently takes part in the meandering chats about art and politics, while her adopted daughter finds herself growing up and possibly growing further away from the familiar crowd of familial outsiders. Known for her previous plays in the acclaimed Elliot Trilogy, Quiara Alegria Hudes continues to grapple with what it means to be "different" and the poignant human instinct to connect with one another despite the odds. Quiara Alegria Hudes wrote the book for the …
""Ms. Hudes writes with such empathy and vibrant humor about people helping one another to face down their demons that regeneration and renewal always seem to be just around the corner."--The New York Times. Through years of drinking together at Daphne's Dive, a cheap bar on the corner in North Philly, a makeshift family has grown out of the misfit collection of eclectic regulars. Daphne, the eponymous owner of this ramshackle home, tends bar and frequently takes part in the meandering chats about art and politics, while her adopted daughter finds herself growing up and possibly growing further away from the familiar crowd of familial outsiders. Known for her previous plays in the acclaimed Elliot Trilogy, Quiara Alegria Hudes continues to grapple with what it means to be "different" and the poignant human instinct to connect with one another despite the odds. Quiara Alegria Hudes wrote the book for the Broadway musical In the Heights, which received the 2008 Tony Award for Best Musical, a Tony nomination for Best Book of a Musical and was a Pulitzer Prize finalist. Her acclaimed three-part play cycle, the Elliot Trilogy, includes Elliot, a Soldier's Fugue (Pulitzer Prize finalist), Water by the Spoonful (2012 Pulitzer Prize for Drama), and The Happiest Song Plays Last"--
Surprisingly tender and powerful. You may think you know the setup—hardened saloon owner with a secret heart of gold, characters haunted by past demons, new person thrown into the mix results in growth all around—but those clichés are quickly forgotten in the first scene. The dialog is tight; characters deep and moving; their journey not what you expect. I would love to see this on the stage.
