Café Utopia
Written by Gwen Kingston; Directed by Ashley Olive Teague
Hudson Guild Theater at 441 W 26th St, NYC
November 2-23
Julia Atwood, Al Piper, and Louis Reyes McWilliams (Photo credit: John Keon)
Immediately welcomed with snacks, wine, and smiles, I walked into the Hudson Guild Theatre with warm joy. They said I would get free juice during the show, which was a plus. I like my juice. To match the welcoming energy of the Notch Theatre staff, the set on stage was brightly lit, complete with calming blue walls, lots of paper cups, and a hammock. Yes, a hammock!
Cafe Utopia already looked like a place I so longed to be in real life. More cafes should have hammocks and pleasant atmospheres that calm the nervous system and spark joy. The set was complete with a bright pink-topped piece that resembled a complex high energy machine, immediately sparking my curiosity for how it would play into the story I was about to see unfold.
With smart use of the house aisles, the play started on a not-so-calming note. Filled with the ever so frustrating rush and anxiety of the unreliable public transportation system, the characters of our play entered the stage through the audience to open up their beloved Cafe Utopia. A bell sounded signaling the opening of a shop door as the actors stepped foot onto the stage and hung up their coats and belongings on some wall hooks stage right.
I could write a 10 page paper on the set (designed by Calypso Michelet) because of its attention to detail. There were outlets and wall switches and napkin holders, and everything was so perfectly put in place to highlight our story, right down to the hot pink aprons. It was perfect. Which, when you see it, only enforces the imperfect point of the play. I should note that the sound design was just as exquisite.
Playright Gwen Kingston and Director Ashley Olive Teague joyously transport you into the Cafe Utopia world. This is a place where “everyone is welcome,” restrooms are not strictly reserved for paying customers, and all of Cafe Utopia’s employees wish you peace. The employees love this place of work because of its seemingly beautiful list of benefits.
Serving healthy juice is this cafe’s specialty, but what makes Utopia different is a special element that enhances characteristics paying customers wish to boost. It’s the place where they get to be their best selves based on how they want to feel for the day. And those boosters have pleasantly clever names. Community is encouraged and individual decisions seem to be the driving force of the company for its customers.
The characters Kingston has written are immediately likable. They are fun, kind, and real. They are people who care about their job, their customers, and each other. Teague’s direction leaps them off the page and into the laughter and hearts of the audience. One would think that a corporate place such as this would be too good to be true. The audience soon learns that is exactly the case.
When mysterious red papers start to present themselves in abundance and the high energy machine starts to malfunction, curiosity strikes. They start to question their workplace, its system, and their employment, while some resist curiosity. This is personal and emotional but never lacking heart or good intentions.
Kingston has written a play that highlights the complexities of workplace culture mixed with good hearted people. Can a business really become the idealistic place we all so desperately desire? One that actually cares about their workers without the protections of a union? Is it too risky to even think about unionizing a non-union workplace? Or will the big-business people of power phase out that idealism and value profit over well-being? Can true, caring, companies even exist?
This production has no traditional intermission. Instead, during the 90-minute play, the actors break character, introduce themselves, and encourage the audience to participate in an exercise for a few minutes. That is when the juice I have been waiting for arrived in my hand (it was grapefruit). But as I took the first sip, and participated in the audience exercise, I realized I was waiting for something else.
I was waiting to hear more. I didn’t only want to know the conclusion of the play, but was curious about other people’s lives that are affected by unions or the lack of them. Cafe Utopia finishes out with a twist that I am not going to give away. You’re going to have to see it for yourself. But, the play closes with a desire to leave the incurious part of ourselves behind, which can only open more doors to possibility.
Cafe Utopia runs until Nov 23rd. Tickets are available here.
Review by Amanda Montoni
Published by Theatre Beyond Broadway on Nov 9th, 2024. All rights reserved.