The best post-Katrina play to be staged in the area has been held over at Southern Rep Theatre at Canal Place in New Orleans. But better hurry because it ends Sunday. “Rising Water” tells the story of a husband and wife who are trapped in their home in New Orleans after Katrina hits as flood waters rise. At first, they’re in the attic, expecting the waters to recede so they can go back down and dry out. But that doesn’t happen.
The water gets higher and higher until they are forced to break a hole in the roof.
She is slim enough to get through it but he is not.
The second act takes place on the roof where she walks around while he pokes his head through the escape route and talks to her. We won’t destroy the suspense by revealing the finale.
The story is not just about the storm. It is about their life together.
As they mull their future from the rooftop, they reflect on their past.
There is a lot of comedy in this drama that takes place during one of the most serious disasters in history which underlies the plot. And we understand well that many such real-life dramas could have taken place after the big storm.
It’s a two-member cast starring Danny Bowen and Cristine McMurdo-Wallis who are outstanding. Ryan Rilette directs the play by New Orleanian John Biguenet who also wrote the intriguing novel “Oyster.”
The play continues today through Saturday at 8 p. m. and Sunday at 3. Call (504) 522-6545 for tickets.
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