Last Night and the Night Before - Denver Center For The Performing Arts

Last Night and the Night Before explores the power, necessity, and beauty of loss. Now showing at Denver Center for the Performing Arts.

Disclosure: Denver Center for the Performing Arts provided us with media tickets in exchange for our honest review, no other compensation has been provided. All opinions are my own.

Last weekend my mom and I headed downtown to see the opening of Last Night and The Night Before which is a new performance at Denver Center for the Performing Arts. We love going to the theater, it is a great Mom and Daughter activity that we have grown to really enjoy over the last few years. That being said, we are always excited to get invited to see some of the non-traditional theater shows. Do not get me wrong, we love seeing those shows that we have seen before but seeing a new play is always a highlight for me.

About Last Night and the Night Before:

When Monique and her 10-year-old daughter Samantha show up unexpectedly on her sister’s Brooklyn doorstep, it shakes up Rachel and her partner Nadima’s orderly New York lifestyle in this poetic, powerful and remarkably touching drama.

Monique is on the run from deep trouble and brings their family’s Southern roots with her, grabbing hold of Rachel’s life more ferociously than she could have ever imagined. This 2017 Colorado New Play Summit featured play explores the struggle between the responsibilities that are expected of us and the choices we actually end up making.

General Information About Last Night and the Night Before:

Run Time: Approximately two hours with a 15 minute intermission.

Ticket Price: Starting at $30. Prices vary by date and availability.

Age Recommendation: 16+ for adult content, including language, violence, and sexual content

Advisory: Contains mild violence and adult themes and lauguage.
Theater: The Ricketson Theatre

Our Thoughts On Last Night and the Night Before:

First of all we were super excited to explore a theater that we have not seen a show in before, when we walked into the Ricketson Theatre we knew it would be a very intimate and intense show. This particular show had 5 characters and we were introduced to each of them and since we were in such an intimate theater I feel like we were right there in their home.

This show was about 2 hours long and honestly, I wish it was longer, I left the theater with questions and wanted to know about more and what was next for each of the characters. It is clear that the DCPA is wanting more diversity in their shows, I LOVE THAT! A few of the characters were from Georgia, the accents they used were very traditional however, there were some parts of the show that both my mom and I felt like we missed a few words.

I would recommend this show to all adults. It was eye opening, heart breaking and insightful but not appropriate for kids in my opinion. While it all seems very intense we were laughing a lot in this show too. The little girl, Sammy, reminded me of Teagan at times. Oh the attitude!

About Denver Center For The Performing Arts:

There are eight theatres within the Denver Performing Arts Complex. Each has a unique personality to match the diverse plays, musicals and shows that happen inside. Explore our stages and find your seat — before the lights go down. They are best known for the touring Broadway shows and Tony-winning theatre. The whole complex is simply amazing, theater and art surrounds you. The complex has ample parking and some great options for making your trip to the theater perfect. There are restaurants, bars, and coffee cafes in walking distance.

Last Night and the Night Before is shown in The Ricketson Theatre at DCPA. The Ricketson Theatre, originally a movie house, is used every season as an intimate testing ground for world premiere plays as well as comedic and dramatic Theatre Company shows. This proscenium theatre keeps every audience member close enough to the action to see every actor’s expression and every set detail. With a 250 seat capacity there is no bad seat in the house!

Looks amazing right!? Well it is and you need to add this play to your next theater experience. You will leave the theater with questions but also some insight into the life of a young black girl living through trauma while her family doesn’t deal with the trauma properly.

Remaining Showtimes for Last Night and the Night Before:

Tuesday January 29th – 6:30pm
Wednesday January 30th – 6:30pm
Thursday January 31st – 6:30pm
Friday February 1st – 7:30pm
Saturday February 2nd – 1:30pm & 7:30pm
Sunday February 3rd – 1:30pm
Tuesday February 5th – 6:30pm
Wednesday February 6th – 6:30pm
Thursday February 7th– 6:30pm
Friday February 8th – 7:30pm
Saturday February 9th – 1:30pm & 7:30pm
Sunday February 10th – 1:30pm
Tuesday February 12th – 6:30pm
Wednesday February 13th – 6:30pm
Thursday February 14th– 6:30pm
Friday February 15th – 7:30pm
Saturday February 16th – 6:30pm
Sunday February 17th – 6:30pm
Tuesday February 19th – 6:30pm
Wednesday February 20th – 6:30pm
Thursday February 21st– 6:30pm
Friday February 22nd – 8:00pm
Saturday February 23rd – 8:00pm
Sunday February 24th – 6:30pm