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There are some things in life that should not be described for they should be experienced first hand.

I want to make clear to you that is how I feel about Bricolage Production Company’s current show: Hunter Gatherers.

Naturally I plan on describing in detail how awesome the show was last night. However, regardless of my words, go see the show anyway. It’s something that you need to absorb into your body and mind so that days following the production it can still give you chills.

It’s been almost 24 hours since I saw the show. I keep having flashbacks. I’ll occasionally laugh out loud thinking of a funny moment (funny is not the word. This show was hysterical.) or I’ll cringe while vividly imagining several disturbing scenes from the play.

I don’t know if ever before I’ve felt so connected to a show as an audience member. It felt so… So… RAW. It was like I was peeking through my neighbor’s window and watching a dinner party devolve in front of my very eyes. It was intense. It was scary. It was witty. It was even erotic at times. It pretty much encompassed every possible human emotion.

Of course I think that playwright Peter Sinn Nachtrieb borrowed from Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf while working on this show. But hey. If you are going to borrow then there is no one better than Albee. (At least, in my arrogant opinion.)

First and foremost, many kudos should be thrown in the direction (no pun intended) of the director: Jeffrey Carpenter. I have seen several of Jeff’s shows before and the man never disappoints. I’ve even had the pleasure of working for Jeffrey and I can assure you first hand that he is an actor’s director. He puts such faith into his cast and allows them to grow in their characters. You don’t meet as many theater directors who are as giving as Jeff. Also, the man is a beast with theatrical precision. Like, FOR REAL. He does not miss a trick.

Jeff assembled an incredible production team. Special effects designer: Steve Tolin deserves an award for his work on this play. I sat in the very front row and every effect looked real. In fact, on two different occasions it looked so real that I gagged. I could not believe the quality of the effects. Seriously. Wes Craven needs to bring Steve in for Scream 5.

The cast was perfect. Tressa Glover led the ensemble as Pam the “ultra gatherer”. (SPOILER ALERT: Tressa Glover fans need to see her performance in this show. She reaches levels that Julianne Moore could not do on her best day. This is one of Tressa’s greatest performances to date and you will be missing out on some brilliant acting if you do not attend this show. Also, if that wasn’t enough, she has a sex scene that shan’t be missed. Chic-a-chic-a-bow-wow!)

The other stand-out actor for me was Jonathan Visser who played Pam’s husband Richard (“the hunter”). I had the opportunity to chat with Jonathan after the show and he’s one of those people who seem like they don’t quite know how freaking talented they are. Like, dude has facial expressions/timing/physicality that would make Jim Carey jealous. This guy is a recent transplant from Tennessee and our city should be kissing the ground that he’s decided to make Pittsburgh his new home. I can’t wait to follow this guy’s career. His performance last night was unforgettable.

Finally, it should be noted that Tami Dixon (Producing Artistic Director) has a vision for Bricolage that, I feel, has been realized over the past few seasons culminating with this current production. Whether it was a production of Midnight Radio, Speech and Debate, Neighborhood III or Hunter Gatherers… Tami Dixon provides smart, cutting-edge, multi-layered, political, provocative, entertaining, PROFESSIONAL theater to our humble Burgh.

To me, Bricolage IS Pittsburgh theater.