‘Northside Hollow’ – by Jonathan Fielding and Brenda Withers. Presented by Harbor Stage Company. Lighting Design by Andrew Garvis. Original Scenic Design by Sara C. Walsh. Original Sound Design by David Lanza. At BCA Plaza Black Box Theatre, 539 Tremont Street, Boston, through January 20, 2024.
By Linda Chin
Following an acclaimed world premiere in 2015 at its harborside home in Wellfleet, MA, two pre-pandemic professional productions at Fort Worth’s Amphibian Stage in 2017 and Sarasota’s Urbanite Theatre in 2018, Harbor Stage Company’s Northside Hollow has been reprised with its sensational original cast, scenic and sound design and remounted at the Boston Center for the Arts for a limited run in January 2024.
The subterranean Plaza Black Box Theatre is a fitting space for playwrights (and Harbor co-founders) Jonathan Fielding and Brenda Withers’ gripping story of a miner trapped underground after an explosion. Robert Kropf (also a co-founder and Harbor’s Artistic Director) plays the miner Gene, a stubborn man with sardonic wit, whose face is weathered from years of physical labor and wrinkled with emotional wear. His food and water supply nearly depleted, Gene is found by a first responder – a young, optimistic, humanistic volunteer named Marshall (Alex Pollock). Marshall wraps Gene’s injured foot and tries to head back up to the surface but the mine has collapsed, and the two are now trapped together. It is not clear when and if they will be free.
Deep in the recesses of the mine, the two men pass the time and try to stay calm by exploring the recesses of their minds. The two men recount memories of objects and relationships that they’ve loved and lost, including cheeseburgers, classic cars, Gene’s dog, and romantic partners. Kropf and Pollock deliver pitch-perfect performances, as does Gene’s ex-wife Kate, portrayed by Stacy Fischer (also a co-founder, extra-luminous in a sunny yellow dress), who appears towards the play’s end.
Harbor Stage Company’s production exemplifies “immersive theater” at its finest. The play is engaging from start to finish; the eighty minutes go by quickly. With their mission of accessible theater and affordable tickets, the play’s limited run sold out quickly. So happy that I had snagged a seat, I left the production with cravings – for cheeseburgers and a desire to see Harbor Stage Company’s outstanding work again. For more information about Harbor Stage Company, visit: https://www.harborstage.org/
Your spot on rave reviews of both Harbor Stage Company productions of “Northside Hollow” and “Liv At Sea” have me asking myself why discerning Boston theater goers were offered such limited engagements to both ? Perhaps more importantly, why doesn’t Wellfleet’s Harbor Stage Company have an ongoing, winter relationship in Boston for more than limited exposure to their always brilliantly edgy material ? We respectfully look forward to your insight and hope others feel as strongly about the endless search for the unparalleled experience of truly great theatre.
Totally agree Tim. I felt the same way about Theater Uncorked’s “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” It may be best to contact the folks at Harbor Stage.