The World is Ending and Maybe That's Kinda Hot - Melancholic Anonymous

Wow, what a title. This play by 2024 O'Neill Semi-Finalist Catherine Weingarten is a very funny adaptation of The Decameron by Boccaccio. The Decameron tells the story of a group of people gathered in a villa outside of Florence in hopes of saving themselves from the Black Plague. During this time, they tell stories of love to pass the time. As you can probably guess, the stories range from comedy to tragedy as well as erotic stories. The Decameron was an influence on Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, and was also nicknamed the Human Comedy (which is why Dante's book was named the Divine Comedy.)

In the hands of Weingarten, the setting remains similar yet..."7 hawt young people gather in a generic meadow in Italy to tell sexy stories and hit on each other. They are, like, all kinda freaked out since they just escaped the Black Plague, but it's NBD cause they're safe now." In a word "The World is Ending and Maybe That's Kinda Hot" is hilarious. As presented by Melancholics Anonymous, this 100 min, intermission-free play was like watching 100 min of great reality TV. Think of Big Brother, and while I have never seen a single episode I get the premise. People stuck in a house and having to get along with each other (is the core, regardless of the challenges). So, into this villa you have Pampinea (Kelly Solberg) and her long-term boyfriend Panfilo (Alex Cavegn). While they have been together for a while, they are not yet betrothed...which is an issue for Pampinea. From what I could tell, that is the only couple at the villa. The rest of the people at the villa are Filomena (Lindsey Fry), Emilia (Samantha Miller), Dioneo (Bee Davis), Filostrato (Carson Uthe), and Lauretta (Mira Davis). Oh...and Saint Clarita (Claire Chenoweth) who visits them, in puppet form, as an answer to prayers. While Filomena starts the show off, all of the characters get their own turn so there is no lead. And as an ensemble, this group of actors is amazing in working together, finding moments of honesty and truth in the midst of the raucous comedy. 

As in the Decameron, they each take turns telling stories to pass the time. All of them deal with some aspect of love, and between the stories we discover the love interests between the characters. Like a reality show, there are characters who want others, but are turned down. And on the flipside, you have characters who seem to find a new experience and a new partner. The language through out is current language yet with some words like "betrothed" tossed in there. It is the perfect pairing of classic and current language...including how the words are spoken. Think of Alexis from Schitt's Creek, or Paris Hilton and her usage of "Hot" but spelled "Hawt." Following Boccaccio's style, the erotic is not really spoken of, however if is often very strongly implied, sometimes with great physical comedy and props. The performances through out were top-notch and exact. It is a fantastic script, and I can't imagine a more fun and imaginative production.

Sadly I saw this show late in the run. There are three more performances, including one with a post-play discussion with the playwright!. Get thee to The Hive! What I will end with is now that I have seen the work of this company, I want to see more. It looks like Fringe will be the time - Beanie Baby Divorce Play!