The Motherf**ker with the Hat

A few weeks ago I learned that Chris Rock is performing on Broadway, so wife and I drove into Manhattan on Saturday so we could go see Bobby Cannavale, Chris Rock, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Annabella Sciorra, and Yul Vasquez in Stephen Adly Guirgis’ The Motherf**ker with the Hat. The first thing we noticed while walking to our seats was the size of the set. It was so small. It was very reminiscent of the Sydney Theatre Company’s production of A Streetcar Named Desire that toured the United States in 2009 in that less than a quarter of the visual space was actually utilized by the set. Like Streetcar, the tiny spaces occupied by the cast create a sense of tight, cramped, confined spaces with no room to breathe. Knowing that Hat is set in modern day New York City, I went into the play believing that we were about to see the characters under some immense pressure. Oh, how right I was.

Sticking with the set, I was very impressed by the thought and detail put into it. As you sit, you are presented with a tiny, cramped one-bedroom apartment with low ceilings and no sense of comfort. To the left of the apartment’s front door rises a stairwell. Unlike the stairs in Streetcar, though, these were broken, leaving no escape. Above the apartment, to the right of the broken staircase, is a large expanse of empty blackness. On the far right of the set stands an empty billboard. Emptiness. Nothingness. We know going in that these people’s lives are not good. We all know that New York is a beast. Being poor—as evidenced by the apartment we see—and stressed in New York is torturous. Adding to that feeling is a tiny sliver of light in the middle of the blackness. In that light, we see a tiny glimpse of the Empire State Building. It’s just enough light shining on these people to let them know what they do not have.

Once The Motherf**ker with the Hat starts, we see the technical brilliance of the set. We’ve all seen walls, panels, and floors move, but only in The Lion King have I ever seen a set whose moving parts are so intricate and seamless. This play takes place in three different apartments, and none of them look anything alike. And the transitions between the apartments were flawless. Also, size and space were used very well throughout the production.

The Motherf**ker with the Hat is a tale about relationships, overcoming addiction, and more than anything, in my opinion, the self-righteousness of the recently enlightened. People in the midst of their 12 steps, the recently religiously converted, and those who have just discovered the great new thing all fall victim to this type of self-righteousness. Along with it comes an attitude of “I’m just doing what I have to do to protect myself, so you can’t really criticize me.” It’s a load of crap, but people are often too self-absorbed to see that. Hat gets to the heart of this.

Although there are bigger names in the cast, Cannavale’s Jackie and Rodriguez’s Veronica are the lead characters. Both actors are up to the task. My wife and I often talk about going to a play and waiting for the moment when you forget you’re actually watching a stage production. That did not take long this time. I grew up on the East Coast, and these two created a very real New York Puerto Rican couple. It did not take long to understand the depth, struggle, and pain of their relationship.

It is the struggle and pain of Jackie and Veronica’s relationship that drives much of Hat’s plot, but Jackie’s relationships with the other three characters that give the play its depth and meaning. I won’t say more because I don’t want to give too much away and I want you all to go out and see it. The Motherf**ker with the Hat is an emotional tale that will draw you in and give you something you don’t quite expect.

4 stars out of 5