←Recommendations of QUEASY

11.18.24 - I love the absolute ludicrousness of this fever dream of a play by James Binz. Coming back from anesthesia has never been weirder, as Vernon has a few, shall we say, close encounters, with a nurse(s?) who's identity keeps changing for the stranger. Any actress lucky enough to get this play in her sights (cough cough-Jacquie Floyd-cough cough) would knock this out of the park. This is just a romp from the get go, and I'd love to see this staged.

We find Vernon in a hospital bed, overcome with nausea. While he waits for the doctor to arrive, he is plagued with visions of an ever-changing caregiver. Is this a common occurrence for surgical patients awakening from heavy sedation, or something much more sinister? Either way, ‘Queasy’ promises to be a pleasantly surreal production.

Magic realism and comedy, when mixed skillfully and well, are an absolute joy to behold. Like the filmmaker Luis Bunuel, James Binz instinctively abides by the surrealist cardinal rule of never taking yourself too seriously. Yet there is no doubt that this man is seriously talented. "Queasy" demands a full production. And I, as a fellow writer, look forward to reading more of Mr. Binz' work.

This is a good comedic play for a woman who's a quick-change artist and who can adopt different voices in a short period of time. I loved the bit about the nurse wearing a nun's habit and singing her lines in Gregorian chant; this was just one persona the nurse adopts. James cleverly refers to HIPAA rules as hippo rules. A running conflict pits Vernon's desire to know the outcome of his surgery and the nurse's refusal to tell him; that's for the doctor who never comes.

This wacky, fast-paced comedy has plenty of ways the actor playing Veronica can show off comedic chops! And the design team will have a blast with all the changes. Vernon's monologue about Catholic school is pretty funny as well. Waking up from surgery has never been weirder!