SEASON 15 ARCHIVE | May 2003

review

Last performed in Austin in December 2000, Holy Cross Sucks! is a tour-de-force by award-winning writer/actor Rob Nash. VORTEX Repertory Company presented the original world premieres of all four of The Holy Cross Sucks Quadrilogy (Freshman Year Sucks! Sophomore Slump, Junior Blues and Senioritis) shows as well as the first debut of the edited combined opus. Rob Nash received B. Iden Payne Awards for Outstanding Original Script for Sophomore Slump and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy for Holy Cross does Romeo and Juliet , as well as a special Austin Critics’ Table "Valedictorian Award" for Holy Cross Sucks!

The arrangement of this version of HCS differs from the 2000 version. Under the direction of Tony Nominated (Grease!) and Ovation Awarded (Oliver! and Big River for Theatre Deaf West and The Mark Taper Forum) Jeff Calhoun, HCS has gone from four consecutive installments in
separate decades to two linear narratives where the action bounces back and fourth, all set during Nash’s high school careers, 1981-1985. Okay, let me explain… Lights up on Ben, George and Johnny in the pool hall the day before the first day of senior year where they hatch a plan to sneak off to New York for Christmas Break. We flash back and forth between the forward motion of Senior and scenes from our heroes’ freshman, sophomore and junior years.

Not standup, not monologue, not performance art, Nash describes his work as "serial ensemble theatre performed solo." His previous works include 12 Steps To A More Dysfunctional You, 12 Steps To A More Dysfunctional Christmas and 12 Steps To A More Dysfunctional Family, which have enjoyed sold out houses and critically acclaimed runs across the country. Nash has also been seen on VH1 "Stand-up Spotlight with Rosie O'Donnell" and Comedy Central's "Out There in Hollywood."