Dana H. Reviews
Los Angeles Times- Highly Recommended
"...At the curtain call at Sunday's opening, Dana Higginbotham took a bow alongside O'Connell. Together with Hnath, they have made a profound contribution to the theater of trauma."
Broadway World- Recommended
"...The World Premiere of Lucas Hnath's DANA H. at the Kirk Douglas Theatre recounts the real-life story of the playwright's own mother, adapted from interviews with Dana Higginbotham which were conducted by Steve Cosson. Directed by Les Waters, the entire play is told in voiceovers from the real-life interviews, perfectly mimicked and emotionally heartfelt by Deirdre O'Connell in the title role."
Stage and Cinema- Highly Recommended
"...I will always love good theater but, even so, every so often there comes along a play that actually restores one's faith in the possibilities of theater. Dana H by the brilliant Lucas Hnath is just such a play."
On Stage Los Angeles- Recommended
"...I learned a new term in the discussion after the show: "Documentary Theatre," taking real people and real events to condense them into theatrical presentations. Hnath's device of presenting his mother's interview verbatim and in her own voice adds a personal authenticity. It works."
Stage Raw- Highly Recommended
"...Charles McNulty in The Los Angeles Times has suggested that "Dana H." sounds like a Freudian case history. To me, it sounds more like the way people are referred to in a police report. Like everything else in this remarkable work, the title is open to personal interpretation. Perhaps this is why this 75-minute play is such a rich and compelling experience. There is no attempt to persuade us of any moral lesson. No advice is dispensed about how we should live our lives. Instead, Hnath offers us the opportunity to make of these horrific events whatever we choose to. And there is a wonderful sense of freedom in that."