“2.5 Minute Ride”
Hartford Stage
“2.5 Minute Ride,” Lisa Kron’s by turns funny and moving play, is currently being given a wonderful production at Hartford Stage. With a brilliant performance by Lena Kaminsky, this one person play chronicles Kron’s journey of taking her father, Walter (a Holocaust survivor), to Auschwitz, among other places, and also taking him to Cedar Point, to ride the rollercoasters. This may seem like an odd dichotomy, but “2.5 Minute Ride,” moves deftly throughout its 75 minute running time (with no intermission), eliciting tears and laughter in equal portions.
Indeed, in director Zoe Golub-Sass’s ideal hands, this show remains unpredictable from being to end. What can be safely said about this show is that it is bound to strike a chord in just about any theatergoer and its underlying theme of anti-Semitism, unfortunately, feels uncomfortably relevant to our current times. “2.5 Minute Ride” is an excellent show and it would be worth seeing just to watch the superb Lena Kaminsky take the audience for the ride of their lives.
Kaminsky plays Lisa (which is a true to life portrait of playwright Lisa Kron) and “2.5 Minute Ride” begins with a slide show, of sorts. The very odd thing about this slideshow, though, is that it is just a series of colors displayed on a screen, with no pictures or writing. This feels very strange to experience, especially as the actress stops to tell the audience a detailed description of each slide, including who and what are in each picture. The director turns this device into an asset, as it becomes apparent that many of the scenes intended to be depicted were never actually preserved on film. As mentioned, Lisa’s father is a survivor of the Holocaust and he was actually taken on a Kindertransport in 1937 at the age of fifteen and was saved, but he never saw his parents again.
As “2.5 Minute Ride” continues, there is an undercurrent of urgency, as well as fear, and the playwright is smart to keep the audience guessing what will come next. At times, it’s hard to know whether to laugh or cry. Without question, though, is that the performance by Lena Kaminsky is astonishing. On Judy Gailen’s imposing set of cardboard boxes stacked up behind the actress, Kaminsky’s portrayal is both humorous and transcendent and she helps guide one through this intense, non-linear show. The lead character Lisa is trying to make a video of her father, Walter, but there are many stops and starts in the narrative and a growing feeling that a thorough, coherent portrait of Walter may prove to be impossible.
During the show, there are many stories of Lisa’s extremely eccentric, if lovable, family, and the various troubles and interactions between the family members. Some of the stories are laugh-out-loud funny (especially when Lisa’s aggravated partner Peggy’s experiences with the family are being described), but just as apparent are the terrors of Lisa’s father returning to Auschwitz in an attempt to make some sense of the unspeakable horrors that he has lived through. Equally important, though, are the tales of Lisa bringing her father and family members to Cedar Point to ride some of the rollercoasters there, such as the Magnum XL-200 and the Demon Drop. The actual title of the play refers to the detailed experience of one of the rollercoasters.
And, even if Lisa is not always able to bring coherence to her intended video of her father, Zoe Golub-Sass’s direction is always spot-on and entirely transparent. The costume design by April Hickman is completely appropriate to the central character and the lighting design by Daisy Long is expert and gloriously atmospheric. Adding to the show as a whole is the precise sound design by Jane Shaw, who also provides the touching and mood-setting original music. Indeed, “2.5 Minute Ride” is a terrifically assured and heartrending production.
Above all, though, is the love that Lisa has for her father and the gorgeous performance by Kaminsky displays that at every turn. The last few lines (not to be revealed here) bring a stunning clarity to everything that one has seen in the show and the poignancy of Kron’s writing is always apparent. “2.5 Minute Ride” at Hartford Stage is an unforgettable experience and proves to be one trip that you will definitely want to take.
“2.5 Minute Ride” runs through June 23, 2024, at Hartford Stage, 50 Church St., Hartford CT. For tickets and more information, please call 860-527-5151 or visit www.hartfordstage.org.
Photo: Lena Kaminsky
Photo by T. Charles Erickson
Reviews by Zander Opper 