A rollercoaster of raw emotions, “First Day Off in a Long Time” at The Steve Allen Theater brings everything to the table: love, loss and strawberry ice cream. Brian Finkelstein wrote and performs a spectacular hour of theatre.

“First Day Off in a Long Time” tells the story of Brian when he worked at a suicide hotline, and how that experience shaped the rest of his life. The play has a lot of great things working for it from the top of the show to curtain. The intimacy of the theatre and production overall is enthralling. Never for a moment is there a distance between Brian and the audience. Directed by Adam Swartz, this gritty, simplistic style takes the audience and ensures full attention. Setting a mood of honesty and passion that is difficult to capture in larger theatres. “First Day Off in a Long Time” truly finds the tragic and beautiful depths of human consciousness and presents an honest look into the world of suicide.

Brian’s comedy does not hinder his creation of tragic catharsis. The play is a riotous dark comedy, but this does not overshadow the dramatic themes that lie at the forefront of the production. Brian hits moments of comedy very well, drawing the audience in with laughter and then hitting the beats with sudden, biting reality. A mix of dark comedy and realism, “First Day Off in a Long Time” delivers dry, quirky dialogue that handles the subject of suicide with finesse, while also providing expected grit. This play holds nothing back, openly and honestly presenting the tragedy of life and the small graces that keep everyone going. 

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The staging is simplistic, for nearly the entire show Brian sits at a table stage left with a microphone. A screen is set up center stage with an ocean projected on it, sometimes switching to relevant photographs. This style may seem at first glance to be limited, but it quickly grows into something more. Forcing the audience to imagine for themselves the world that Brian creates, the design constructs an immediacy and personalization to the dialogue. Unlike most productions that have large sets or intrinsic designs, “First Day Off in a Long Time” derives its spectacle from the language and tone of the piece.

An exciting and beautiful play about the hope that is instilled during childhood and the challenges that arise soon after, “First Day Off in a Long Time” delivers a terrific hour of theatre that should be seen. Hitting on important currant social normalities, Brian Finkelstein gives a great performance and speaks from the heart. The show only runs for four nights in total. So get in and see it, it will be worth it.

"First Day Off in a Long Time" is playing for four nights only. October 1, 8, 15, & 22 at The Steve Allen Theater (4773 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles) Tickets are 12$. For more information visit TrepanyHouse.org

Contact Contributor Casey James Dunn here.

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