HARTFORD—TheaterWorks Hartford opens its 39th season with an emotional performance on navigating love and loss. “Fever Dreams (of animals on the verge of extinction)” comes from the artistic mind of writer Jeffrey Lieber, co-creator of the television series “Lost”.
A mystery rich with twists and turns, “Fever Dreams” will keep theatergoers at the edge of their seats. Adele and Zachary have met secretly for decades. They reunite in a cabin tucked away in the woods to be passionately together. However, something seems to be different this year.
Lana Young, who stars as Adele, said she hopes the play sparks discussions between couples and empowers individuals to explore their romantic and sensual needs, which likely evolve with age.
“We want to live this life as robustly and as completely as we can,” said Young. “If that means having a couple of uncomfortable conversations to break through the monotony of a relationship…and live a relationship wholly…then it’s worth it.”
From her character’s perspective, Young said the play is about “a woman trying to live a life fully—and what does that look like for women of my generation? We’re sort of almost dismissed when we get to a certain age when it comes to love and sexuality.”
“I think that it’s brilliant that Jeffrey wrote about people in our age group because we still love and…have sensuality and sex, but that’s usually not represented,” said Young. “I think it’s important to look at women of my generation, who may still be uncovering our own wants and needs when it comes to those things because we weren’t allowed to really explore those things when we were younger…”
Young, Tim DeKay, and Doug Savant are all making their debut performances at TheaterWorks Hartford with this passionate new show. The entire play lives through three characters, which requires a lot of memorization and artistic stamina from each actor.
“We are living, breathing, a set of circumstances in front of you on that stage,” shared Young. “What you’re going to see is our blood, sweat, and tears—we leave it all out on the stage. It’s palpable.”
While the performance asks its cast to explore complex and intense experiences, Young said it has been fulfilling to dive into such deep emotions with a talented cast and crew.
The creative team includes Luke Canteralla on set design, Alejo Vietti and Joseph Shrope on costume design, Sherrice Mojgani on lighting design, Lindsay Jones for original music and sound design, Production Director Mike Lenaghan, and Production Stage Manager Tom Kosis.
“Fever Dreams” premieres on October 3 and runs through November 3, 2024. The show runs for about 120 minutes with an intermission. Tickets are priced at $25 – $70. Learn more or purchase tickets online at twhartford.org or by calling 860-527-7838.
Publisher’s Notes: CT Latino News is proud to partner with TheaterWorks Hartford in supporting the state’s Arts and Culture.