“Otherkin” at the Road

“Only connect,” wrote E. M. Forster in his 1910 novel, Howards End, an epigraph encouraging the merging of the mind and the heart so as to live a fuller life. That doesn’t mean it’s easy to discover one’s true identity, but it’s crucial. Identity is one of the subjects of N. T. Vandecar’s new play, Otherkin, but unfortunately that subject gets somewhat buried in whimsy that doesn’t connect well with the more dramatic aspects of the story. The world premiere production by The Road Theatre Company benefits from a terrific cast, but its best efforts can’t quite transcend the issues with the play.

In modern-day London, 14-year-old Olive (Nychelle Hawk) is certain of two things – she’s actually “dragonkin” and that the world is going to end in three weeks. To her mind, this is a good thing, and she’s looking forward to transforming into her true dragon self. She’s less sure about meeting her birth father, Lucas (Justin Lawrence Barnes), and his husband, Darren (Andre G. Brown), for the first time. Darren is more concerned about the Chinese infant he and Lucas are in the process of adopting, and he thinks Olive is crazy. Vivian (Stephanie Erb) just wants to protect her adoptive daughter, Olive, but none of these people will be ready for what’s coming.

Hawk is very good as the self-assured Olive, completely convinced of her rightness about things but forced to mature as she faces unexpected events. Barnes does strong work as the frustrated Lucas, trying to deal with the strangeness of his daughter and the anger of his husband, not to mention the possible end of the world. Brown steals the show as Darren, bringing lots of humor to his performance, and the scene in which he rudely dismisses Olive’s point of view is a mean-spirited tour de force. Erb impresses in two different roles as the loyal Vivian and a haughty Elemental Guardian, and Arthur Hanket is excellent as both the mysterious older man Howy and a hippogriff named Sam.

Director Christina Carlisi gets laudable work from her actors, but surprisingly some of the technical aspects of the show don’t quite live up to The Road’s usual high standard. Matt Richter and Nicholas Santiago are both amazing designers, but for whatever reason, in this production something is lacking. Part of Richter’s sound design (presumably) are the between scene recorded voices, and they were barely comprehensible. Santiago’s projection design seems uninspired, a vague wash of light over some abstract patterns. Sue Makkoo’s costume design is delightful, however, especially Olive’s pastel pink and white dragon wings.

Vandecar clearly has talent, particularly in his dialogue and character creation. The problem here is that an interesting story about identity and family gets merged with a somewhat generic fantasy story and the fantasy stuff weighs it down. I have no problems with fantasy, but in this case that element of the show is weaker than it might be. Otherkin is a promising example of Vandecar’s potential, but it doesn’t quite succeed as a play.

Otherkin is presented by The Road Theatre Company at The Road Theatre and plays through Nov. 2, 2025. Tickets are available at https://roadtheatre.org/