Coverage: And Then We Were No More - La Mama

Mr. Nelson’s play is a more of an extended dialectical argument than a play in the dramatic sense.  He does address many philosophical themes, questioning in particular the superiority of function over human form.  Humanity is a central theme here, and in the future of this play, there is no room for it.  Themes of profiting off the penal system and punishment are also touched upon.  Viewers should be aware that they will be challenged by the arguments Nelson makes from God to being inconsequentially human, but a connection to the characters is hard to come by as there is little to no backstory save for The Inmate (Elizabeth Yeoman).  Yeoman does a wonderful job of playing a tortured and questionably insane individual sentenced to death for the killing of her husband and kids.  Nelson does not give us the why; the question surrounding The Inmate is: should she be put to death as she has asked without pain or not.  The audience becomes the jury for a short portion of the trial, as her counsel finds holes in the prosecution’s characterization of The Inmate as sane or insane. 

Mr. Meyer’s reflective set does not allow the audience to hide from itself, as well as forcing self-reflection.  The infinite reflection of The Inmate as she is put into the machine is very effective.  Mr. Draghici’s choice of solid colors: dark blue, black, white, grey and then orange/brown support the roles, positions and psychology of the characters. Messrs.

Nelson and Curry’s stripped-down electronic soundscape—in particular, the constant panning from left to right--inject a wonderfully ominous futuristic tension into the work.

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And Then We Were No More

La Mama

Running Time: 2 hours with a 10-minute intermission

09/18/25 – 11/02/25

(Off-Broadway review)