The Invisible Hand

I was lucky enough to see the world premier of The Invisible Hand at the St Louis Rep Theatre! What a wonderful show - from the writing and acting to the sets and stagecraft. This show featured John Hickok - whom also originated 3 Broadway rolls. Hickok played Nick, a man who was very skilled in investment banking and was captured and held hostage by an Islamic militant group. He grew close with one of his guards, Dar, who ends up killing himself in a suicide bombing. Another guard, Bashir, forces Nick to make $3million grow to $10million by doing what he does best, investment banking. The two become close, just as Nick and Dar did, although their relationship is, of course, questionable. Throughout the entirety of The Invisible Hand, we examine morality and just how far we will go to get what we want.

What a wonderful play. Ayad Akhtar wrote this play phenomenally, always showing the needs of each character throughout every scene and using dialogue beautifully. I was shocked when 1 hour and 15 minutes flew by before my eyes. The text was portrayed wonderfully by this four person cast, as well. Their believability factor amazed me; believability is something that I look for in a performance, and I never once stopped to question what I was watching. (Funny fact: The man who played Bashir wrote in his bio that he is a physician "in his spare time." A) What actor has "spare time"? And B) What physician has "spare time"? I found that HILARIOUS!)