By: Harrison Lorenzen
Water by the Spoonful, by Quiara Alegría Hudes, tells a story about making connections and forming relationships, whether its family or friends, both near and far. The show follows Elliot, a marine who struggles with his own drug addiction, attempting to reconnect with his mother, a former heroin addict who runs an addiction support chat room. In addition, the other users on the site are forming connections, both digitally and physically, and breaking down emotional walls in order to connect through their shared experiences. Water by the Spoonful is being produced by Stages at The Gordy, open through February 23rd.
The cast of Water by the Spoonful presents this work in stunning clarity with true emotion coming forth. From the snarky chat room users to the heartbroken Elliot, the actors bring the audience along on a rollercoaster of emotions. Each character gets their history and struggle highlighted throughout the show, allowing the audience to see deeper into everyone’s connections. While dealing with intense subject matter, Hudes expertly weaves comedy into the dialogue to ease the tone. There were moments where it was hard for the audience to stop laughing, even in the midst of a tragic scene.
Although the beginning of Water by the Spoonful feels a bit disjointed with the contrasting storylines, the end the play brings everything full circle with almost a full resolution. The show starts with Elliot and his cousin, Yaz, but quickly jumps to an online chat group and then back as the scenes progress. It is unclear until intermission how the stories align, making the first act feel staggered. In the second act, however, not only does Elliot’s story connect with his mother, but the chat room users begin to form in-person connections. While some stories are wrapped up by the end of Water by the Spoonful, Elliot’s is not. The show leaves much to be imagined about his connection with his mother.
Water by the Spoonful is the second play in a trilogy about Elliot by Quiara Alegría Hudes. Stages production is part of a concurrent performance of all three works by Houston theaters. Main Street Theatre and Mildred’s Umbrella Theater Company are currently producing the other two works in the trilogy. In addition, this show was the mainstage performance for Stages’ 3rd annual Sin Muros: A LatinX Theater Festival, occurring this past weekend.
For more information on Water by the Spoonful, visit StagesTheatre.com. For more Broadway show updates, tune into my KTRU specialty show “Showstoppers” weekly on Mondays from 11 a.m. to noon on air and online at ktru.org.
