Dana Higginbotham was accustomed to seeing people at their worst; as a chaplain, she was often with people in their final moments and saw others through the lowest points of their lives. But when a former patient takes advantage of Dana’s kindness in an unthinkable way, Dana’s whole life gets turned upside down. Crow’s Theatre is bringing the electrifying Dana H., written by her son Lucas Hnath, from The Goodman Theatre, Center Theatre Group, and Vineyard Theatre Production’s to Toronto for its Canadian Premiere and you simply must see this unique solo show while it’s here.

Dana H. is by far one of the most enthralling pieces of theatre I’ve seen. The dialogue of the show is purely taken from an interview with Dana which was conducted by Steve Cosson. In this interview, Dana unfolds the tale of how she was kidnapped in 1997 by a former patient of hers, Jim, and subsequently spent five months in and out of various hotels, while Jim carried out the “jobs” he was required to perform. Through multiple escape attempts, unsuccessful run-ins with the police, and being almost entirely cut off from her son and family, Dana’s story is like something out of a Hollywood blockbuster. Sitting on the edge of my seat, holding my breath, unsure of how she was ever going to escape, Dana H. keeps you gripped and guessing until the final moments. When the lights finally go down, there’s a collective exhale from the audience signalling the intense emotion which had been held around the room now finding release. Experiences like this are rare, inspiring, and stay with you long after the performance has ended.

Part of what makes Dana H. so impactful is the way in which it is performed; the entire play is lip synced rather than spoken. We listen to the tapes of the real Dana Higginbotham while the incomparable Jordan Baker acts out everything we hear, and when I say everything I mean every little thing. She adjusts her bangles as Dana does, moves around, taps one hand on the other or on the chair depending on the sound. It is a marvel. The masterminds behind this show, director Les Waters and Illusion Designer and Lip Sync Consultant Steve Cuiffo, have created something truly unlike anything I’ve seen before.

The design of this production perfectly enhances the story which is being told. The set itself being a single motel room, with the rest of the space around it covered, gives us the claustrophobic feeling Dana must have been experiencing while being held. Andrew Boyce’s set is the most generic of motel rooms, allowing us to be anywhere and everywhere with the character on her journey. Paul Toben’s lighting design is also impeccable, the sequence where the room is suddenly changing colours and the lights are flashing all over the room is, once again, a fitting symbol of the unsettling and unnerving situation Dana found herself in.

Jordan Baker gives a stunning performance while literally not speaking a word. The detail in her movements and expressions, vividly and accurately creating the visual element to what we’re hearing; she’s astounding. To lip sync for all but two to three minutes of a seventy-five minute show is also mind boggling. I’m sure it requires an unfathomable amount of work and dedication to getting it all down pat, but it is worth every second of time she put into preparing for this performance. My body felt like I had somehow forgot to breathe the entire time, and its Baker’s performance which elicits this passionate response to the work.

Dana H. is disquieting, unsettling, and will have you checking over your shoulder as your enter the parking garage. Yet there’s part of me which is left to wonder how much of this story actually happened, and how much of it is the imaginings of a woman whose life had crumbled before her eyes. Regardless of its veracity, Dana H. is absolutely not to be missed. Running at Factory Theatre’s Mainspace (as Crow’s is all full up right now!) until April 7th, make sure you get your tickets fast. For more information and tickets, visit: https://www.crowstheatre.com/whats-on/view-all/danah

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Cover photo: Jordan Baker. Photo by John Lauener.

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