'someone spectacular' review — Doménica Feraud’s play is an affecting exploration of grief
Read our review of someone spectacular off Broadway, a new play written by Doménica Feraud and directed by Tatiana Pandiani, running through August 31.
“To start, or not to start, that is the question.” In someone spectacular, Doménica Feraud’s affecting look at loss and the power of connections, that’s what a member of a New York grief support group says when the counselor is an inexplicable no-show at their weekly meeting.
After passing time with a few rounds of “fuck, marry, kill,” six bereaved characters in search of solace choose to proceed unsupervised. Yes, sparks fly and things get a little ugly at times. But after about 80 minutes they emerge all the better for staying.
The same goes for audiences at this compact and compelling work, which is inspired by the sudden death of Feraud’s 51-year old mother in 2022. Like her 2019 play, Rinse, Repeat, about eating disorders, it’s a deeply personal work.
“People leave you halfway through the wood a lot more often than you think,” says the angry Lily (Ana Cruz Kayne), who’s mourning her mom. She’s a stand-in for the playwright who understudies the part and who clearly likes to quote Stephen Sondheim lyrics. “No one is alone. Believe me. Truly,” says the maternal Evelyn (Gamze Ceylan), who’s suffered her own loss and harbors an unsettling secret.
While short on eye-opening insights into the complex topic of grief, the play has plenty going for it. That includes its feel-real dialogue, frankness, jolts of humor (some of it of the gallow’s breed), and a subject built to push people’s buttons. Who can’t relate to Thom (Damian Young), who recalls his beloved late wife as “someone spectacular” in an 11th-hour name check of the play?
Alison Cimmet, Delia Cunningham, and Shakur Tolliver round out the cast in director Tatiana Pandiani’s Off-Broadway staging. Each actor steadily settles into a solid groove as characters come into full focus. The fine ensemble helps make someone spectacular something worthwhile.
someone spectacular summary
There’s no shortage of material written about the stages of grief. In her new play in its world premiere at Signature Center, Fernaud flips the script and puts an exploration of grief on stage. The play is a reminder that everybody grieves on their own – and their own time – and that there can be strength in numbers. While this 90-minute work isn’t groundbreaking, it gives food for thought about survivor’s guilt, hierarchies of grief, as one character says, and the complicated emotions tied to loss.
What to expect at someone spectacular
In a smart structural stroke, the play begins 10 minutes before a word is spoken. Characters one-by-one arrive on the set as some audience members take their seats. In a play about connections, it creates a common experience for the players and theatregoers. They’re waiting. We’re waiting.
The play is a contemporary slice of life, but some other elements take the narrative to a different place. Characters mention hearing recurring sounds, lights flicker periodically, and at one point characters go through a notable shift. These touches lend an air of mystery that feels right.
Two elements of the otherwise intentionally unremarkable set by the design collective dots got my mind buzzing. The entire back wall consists of opaque plastic strips, recalling what you might see in a walk-in cooler. A hidden meaning? Economical? Not sure. A silver helium balloon on a string hovering in one corner of the ceiling also caught my eye. What’s it doing there? Rooms, like people, have an unknown history.
What audiences are saying about someone spectacular
In the run-up to the show’s official opening, audience members had mostly positive takeaways on Show-Score, where it has an average rating of 78 percent.
“See it if you love watching a strong ensemble cast and seeing each one have a moment to shine. This show also explores grief in all its facets.” Show-Score user Benjamin 0789.
“See it if interested in the workings of a grief support group & how each member processes their particular situation. Loss, coping, resilience.” Show-Score user Stephen 18.
“Skillful (often melodramatic) performances hold our interest in this realistic (often banal) look at a group therapy session on grieving.” Show-Score user Richard 129440
Read more audience reviews of someone spectacular on Show-Score.
Who should see someone spectacular?
Theatre lovers looking to get to know an exciting emerging voice will find what they’re looking for here. Fernaud is a playwright who is known for mining her life for dramatic material.
Theatregoers keen on seeing an ensemble click will get a that as this play unfolds. Young (The Comeback, Ozark) impresses as a voice of reason, while Cunningham, in her Off-Broadway debut, summons heartbreaking emotion as a woman dealing with a miscarriage.
Audiences who like a serious topic — one that perhaps isn’t dealt with all that much on stage — will appreciate this work.
Learn more about someone spectacular
Feraud’s someone spectacular covers a universal topic and artfully finds a balance between serious and lighter tones.
Photo credit: someone spectacular off Broadway. (Photos by Julieta Cervantes)
Originally published on