Occasionally Nothing

Review by Alexa Elmy

The stakes are high in the play Occasionally Nothing, written by Natalie Menna and featured in Planet Connections Theatre Festivity. Occurring in a post apocalyptic world, the play questions human nature in grim circumstances. The set is simple, but conveys lapses in time tastefully, as the scenes change and the actors move their set pieces.

If British accents don’t spark your interest, come to watch the fantastic actors perform. Physical comedy adds a delightful layer to the quick humorous exchanges over the meaning of nothing, between the leads, Harry and Clay. Later in the show we meet Luella, a confused woman that has lost touch with reality. Her extravagant costumes and behavior display the extent of her delusions.

The writer plays with the meaning of words as we watch the characters struggle to survive and maintain positive spirits. At times the dialogue even brings Samuel Beckett’s, Waiting for Godot, to mind. The dialogue of ‘waiting’ is similar to the dialogue over whether a sound is something or nothing. Overall, Occasionally Nothing is witty, worth seeing, and will leaving you pondering the meaning of your own utterances.