Dionysus was the Greek god of vegetation and fertility. In her Obie winning play, “Hurricane Diane,” Madeleine George has the god look down upon the modern world and, seeing it about to be destroyed by man’s poor treatment of the planet, decides to come to Earth to save it. Able to inhabit different bodies, he arrives in New Jersey as a she- Diane. And she comes as a landscaper, trying to persuade four suburban housewives who live on a cul-de-sac, to change their properties and to create a sustainable agricultural ecosystem- permaculture. It’s a strange premise to begin a story, but the play soon takes on many more dimensions, some rather interesting and some rather silly.
The four women have their own stories. Carol (Terri Lamm) just wants her yard to look good- curb appeal. And she wants a new wrought-iron bench. Diane tries to convince her otherwise.
Beth (Julianna Zinkel) has been struggling since her husband walked out on her a few months earlier. She can’t even bring herself to mow her lawn and it is very overgrown. That appeals to Diane. Beth is susceptible to Diane’s arguments and also, to her sexual advances. Dionysus’ powers also include pleasure.
Renee writes for a gardening magazine and is fascinated with Diane’s ideas. Married now, she had many affairs with women before and previously identified as gay. Those sexual feelings are aroused again by Diane.
Pam (Suli Holum) is a sexy Italian woman who is hard to convince of anything until Diane turns on the charm (probably as a man, though it is not fully clear).
These four friends met regularly to talk about their lives and their families before the arrival of Diane. And in order to succeed in her mission, to save the planet, it seems to be determined that she must have all four go along with her plan.
Though the play won the best writing award for Madeleine George at the 2019 Obie Awards, I found the production at People’s Light to a rather limited look at stereotypical women that seemed more like a television show- lots of overacting. That these women needed to be convinced by a god to save the planet was presented as just silly- no need to overact. It is a comedy about serious stuff. But I didn’t find it very funny. As for the portrayal of Diane by Rami Margron, I found it shallow. Perhaps if Director Molly Rosa Houlahan explored the subtle nuances of the script more effectively, it might have worked better.
If you want to see if Diane saves the planet, you can check it out. There were even some people laughing at times, so maybe you will find it funnier than I did.
“Hurricane Diane” by Madeleine George at People’s Light, 39 Conestoga Rd., Malvern, PA 19355, 610-644-3500, peopleslight.org Thru May 19, 2024
Philadelphia Theater Reviews by Frank Burd 