Danny and the Deep Blue Sea at Bankside Rep

John Patrick Shanley’s Danny and the Deep Blue Sea is one of my favorite plays, and reading the collection of 13 by Shanley was one of the reasons I originally became a playwright. I have seen three separate productions, two in Los Angeles and one in San Francisco, and this was my favorite. In the introduction, Shanley says that it’s an “Apache Dance,” and I think that these actors captured this spirit. The play is a challenge to perform. With two characters, it requires energy, stamina, humor, and vulnerability. What impressed me about this production was that they simply did the play. There was nothing added or subtracted, because nothing else was required. Performed in an intimate space, the sold out audience was completely quiet, focused on every small action, waiting for the next line or to see what would happen next. It turned out to be a worthwhile night of theater and reminded me, again, why live theater is vital and necessary.