'The Reservoir' Off-Broadway review — new play surprises by balancing humor and hardship
Read our review of The Reservoir off Broadway, a new play written by Jake Brasch and starring Noah Galvin at the Linda Gross Theater through March 15.
Summary
- The Reservoir follows a student who connects with his four aging grandparents on his addiction-recovery journey
- The play finds a surprising balance of humor and hardship and shines with a funny cast but runs slightly long at 2-plus hours
- The show is recommended for fans of new works by emerging playwrights and other current Off-Broadway shows that explore addiction like The Dinosaurs and Blackout Songs
A play about an alcoholic navigating recovery while reconnecting with his Alzheimer’s-afflicted grandparents would hardly seem the stuff of comedy. And yet, playwright Jake Brasch finds surprising levity in The Reservoir, and a laugh-out-loud cast turns this seeming oxymoron into an unexpected delight.
After being expelled from rehab, Josh, a student at New York University, returns home to Colorado, determined to begin again. His homecoming becomes an unexpected reunion with his four aging grandparents — two living with Alzheimer’s — and he recognizes an uneasy parallel between himself and them. He, too, remembers little of the recent past and struggles to care for himself.
So much of the humor comes from Noah Galvin, who plays Josh with tenderness and quick wit. The character is unorthodox, both in his approach to work — at his bookstore job, he organizes the shelves not alphabetically but by how the bindings smell — and to sobriety. He decides that by helping his grandparents build cognitive reserve through education, diet, and exercise, he might reverse or prevent their Alzheimer’s — and heal himself as well.
Thus begins his experiment: overfeeding himself and his grandparents spinach, joining his grandmother for senior aerobics at the Jewish Community Center, quizzing them on the vice presidents in reverse chronological order, and helping his 83-year-old grandfather study from the Torah for a second bar mitzvah.
The senior aerobics classes are standout scenes that showcase the range of the humorous cast. Heidi Armbruster, who plays Josh’s steadfast mother, is also the peppy aerobics instructor, teaching the elder Jewish women how to pop and lock. Matthew Saldívar plays Hugo, Josh’s manager at the bookstore, a care aide at the nursing home, and the hilarious Dr. Yaakovs Stern, author of Cognitive Reserve: Theory and Application. The grandmothers are standouts: Mary Beth Peil is ethereal as Irene and showcases her singing voice in the role, and Caroline Aaron uses her gruff voice to deliver some of the show’s best one-liners as Beverly.
Water becomes a recurring metaphor, with Colorado's Cherry Creek Reservoir representing the cognitive reserves Josh hopes to build. Like a reservoir, these reserves can help shore up the constant flood of thoughts in his mind — the same torrent that once drove him to drink. Director Shelley Butler moves the play with a fluid rhythm. Scenes ebb and flow like Josh’s alternately racing and stalled thoughts, often keeping all the characters on stage at once.
There’s a constant interplay between humor and hardship, and at times, the tonal shifts can feel jarring and unsettling, raising questions about whether its appropriate to laugh at the subject matter at hand. The play concludes with satisfying forward progress for Josh; the only trouble is that, at two-plus hours, his journey takes too long to get there.
The Reservoir summary
When university student Josh wakes up on the shore of the Cherry Creek Reservoir in his Colorado hometown after a bender and expulsion from rehab, the call for change is too loud to ignore. As he rebuilds his own life, he channels his energy into caring for his aging grandparents, who struggle with memory loss. To him, recovering from alcoholism and facing Alzheimer’s are part of the same path, and he is determined that healing be both personal and shared.
The Reservoir is a world-premiere co-production between Atlantic Theater Company, Ensemble Studio Theatre, and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
What to expect at The Reservoir
The Reservoir runs 2 hours and 15 minutes, including one intermission. Audiences should be aware that the production deals with themes of alcohol abuse and features strobe lighting.
What audiences are saying about The Reservoir
At the time of publication, The Reservoir had an 85% audience approval rating on the review aggregator Show-Score. Many praised the performances, though others felt the play lacked depth.
- “The story of a young man's fight for sobriety isn't new, but Brasch pulls off a fresh new take, filled with characters you really care for and about, great use of theatricality and stream-of-consciousness settings, and great writing that's filled with small (and large) honest insights. It's also very intelligent, funny, and moving without being too sentimental. [...] This is one of the most memorable and satisfying shows of the season. And you'll never guess the answer to the joke ‘How many Alzheimers' patients does it take to screw in a lightbulb?’” - Show-Score user GreatAvi
- “Noah Galvin is likable and emotional in this story of recovery and loss. Caroline Aaron is a force, Chip Zien charismatic. Didn't know Mary Beth Peil (Grams from Dawson Creek) could sing. Wasn't sure about the direct address but tone settled by Act two.” - Show-Score user Verified A
- “A middle-of-the-road, good-not-great play about a gay, recovering addict who's trying to find the road back, and is revisiting his relationships with his grandparents along the way. There are some nice, touching moments throughout, and Noah Galvin gets to show off his non-musical acting chops—he's well cast in the role. While the story itself felt unique, the themes and some scenes felt ordinary.” - Show-Score user Ashowgoer
Read more audience reviews of The Reservoir on Show-Score.
Who should see The Reservoir
- Theatregoers who enjoy news works from young playwrights should check out The Reservoir, which marks the Off-Broadway debut of recent Juilliard graduate Jake Brasch.
- Those drawn to stories of recovery may enjoy The Reservoir’s playful tone. Off Broadway, it joins a small group of current shows tackling alcohol and recovery, including The Dinosaurs and Blackout Songs.
- Fans of Noah Galvin will delight to see him showcase his acting chops in a non-musical role. Galvin is best known for Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway and the film Theater Camp, which he co-wrote and starred in.
Learn more about The Reservoir off Broadway
The Reservoir finds surprising humor amid the harsh realities of alcoholism and Alzheimer’s. Though a bit long, the play digs deep into how struggle and resilience shape life's meaning.
Photo credit: The Reservoir off Broadway. (Photos by Ahron R. Foster)
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