'Bowl EP' Off-Broadway review — wild but tender new play explores love and demons
Read our review of Bowl EP off Broadway, written and directed by Nazareth Hassan and presented by Vineyard Theatre, National Black Theatre, and The New Group.
If your Instagram algorithm is anything like mine, you may have seen Vineyard Theatre’s time-lapse video of building the set for Bowl EP: a 3D space meant to look like an abandoned pool, functioning as an actual skateboarding bowl. This set, at once bare-bones and yet complex in a way unlike anything else on stage right now, is only the jumping-off point for Nazareth Hassan’s intriguing new play.
For most of Bowl EP, our two protagonists — aspiring rappers Quentavius da Quitter and Kelly K Klarkson — exist in the vacuum of their own relationship. The world we see them in is confined to the bowl. They’re a rap duo brainstorming lyrics and group names together, but sometimes they’re also just there to skate (really skate!), smoke, or flirt with each other. Or a combination of all three.
Writer and director Nazareth Hassan feeds us morsels of Quentavius (Oghenero Gbaje) and Kelly’s (Essence Lotus) budding relationship that are alternatively tender, jarring, and funny. Their moments together are so contained and intimate that the show could be set anywhere: in the present day, 200 years in the future, or in a different galaxy altogether. It’s not about the setting, but about these two people and their love for each other.
That is, before Hassan essentially laughs in the audience’s face and hits us with one of the strangest, most exhilarating plot twists I’ve ever seen. Enter: the Patron Demon of Intimacy, also known as Lemon Pepper Wings (Felicia Curry), who bursts from the bowels of the bowl itself to upend everything we thought we knew. What follows is sheer brilliance on the part of Curry. She keeps us fixated on her with rapt devotion with every shriek, sob, and cry of delight, despite having essentially just spoiled the love story we thought we were watching.
Visceral and yet sweet, Bowl EP is an intimate dissection of a flirtation as well as a scream into the void. And also, halfway through, a rap concert (original music by Free Fool). Gbaje and Lotus embody their characters with a moving tenderness. It’s impossible to predict where the plot will go, and yet audiences at this show are likely to be thinking back to this touching, yet ultimately tragic love story often.
Bowl EP summary
Quentavius da Quitter and Kelly K Klarkson meet at an abandoned suburban pool and decide to turn it into their own personal skateboarding bowl. Over countless sessions at the bowl, they smoke, drink, do drugs, skate, flirt, and brainstorm their big break as a rap duo. Each moment brings them closer together, and their relationship intensifies. But before too long, they must confront not only the harsh reality of life outside the bowl, but their inner demons as well. Even if it takes a demon literally manifesting itself for them to do so.
What to expect at Bowl EP
It’s already been said that Bowl EP has a stunning set (courtesy of co-scenic designers Adam Rigg and Anton Volovsek), and it’s so cool to watch it in action as the cast skate in and out of it. Even more cool is the fishbowl layout, with seats on all sides, that allows the audience to get right up against the action in the relatively small Off-Broadway theatre. If you’re seated right up against the chain-link fence surrounding the stage, there’s a good chance a demon might make prolonged eye contact with you as she lays bare your soul.
Bowl EP isn’t for a weak stomach, though — while it doesn’t consume the action, there’s an ick factor at several moments. Most are food-related, but there’s also a blood-and-guts moment too.
What audiences are saying about Bowl EP
At the time of publication, Bowl EP has a 57% approval rating on Show-Score. Some reviewers were turned off by the non-traditional nature of the plot, but others loved the originality and unpredictability of the story,
- “Weird and wonderful and devastating all at once, plus live skateboarding!!” -Show-Score user Sophie 5134
- “Perhaps I’m not the right demographic to appreciate this work, but I found it to be awkward and nonsensical.” -Show-Score user Leslie 5131
- “Thoughtful, incredibly insightful text and deeply engaging performances. Sort of a fever dream. Highly recommend.” -Show-Score user HeatheeD
- “It was a puzzle to be solved. Not recommended for the traditionalists.” -Show-Score user Mitch
Read more audience reviews of Bowl EP on Show-Score.
Who should see Bowl EP
- Audience members who delight in the weird and the wonderful will love the “WTF” moments of Nazareth Hassan’s writing and direction.
- Anyone familiar with the careers of Oghenero Gbaje, Essence Lotus, or Felicia Curry will want to see these tour-de-force performances — or else discover their new favorite actor.
- Theatregoers who enjoy nontraditional plots will love the format of Bowl EP.
Learn more about Bowl EP on/off Broadway
Star-crossed lovers Quentavius and Kelly are a modern-day fairy tale. Bowl EP might not be to everyone’s taste, but for those who can appreciate its weirdness, there’s a lot of heart to be had.
Photo credit: Bowl EP off Broadway. (Photos by Carol Rosegg)
Originally published on