Prickly, difficult people are a Craig Houk specialty, so it's no surprise to find in Andre and Lou a couple of unforgettable characters with sharp mouths and edges. What is perhaps surprising is the radiator-like warmth that develops between them, hissing and clanking along the way. Underneath Houk's acid and bite lies a kind, humane heart, and in this exquisitely calibrated two-hander, you'll find it - even if the play itself doesn't want you to get all mushy about it, fer Chrissakes.

[2025-06-22]

Craig Houk has given us a touching and highly theatrical story of two men whose lives intersect briefly but profoundly. I loved the staging, which I could easily picture, but more than that I loved getting to know André and Lou, two remarkable people whose relationship grows in unexpected yet completely natural ways. This was a delight to read and I would love to see it on stage.

I will never cease to be an absolute sucker for stories involving people who get to know one another through incisive, engaging dialogue and situations hewn by the human spirit, however flawed. Craig Houk's "Radiator" rises effortlessly above the fray of banality and cliche like a tortured songbird. Someone once stated that an intelligent heart and a compassionate mind are the gifts that nature bestows upon its artists. Mr. Houk posses these in abundance, and they are well demonstrated in this play.