Small Mouth Sounds

Small Mouth Sounds is a comedic stage play by American playwright Bess Wohl, which premiered Off-Broadway in 2015 at Ars Nova and, later, in 2016 at Signature Theatre Company, along with a U.S. national tour from 2017 to 2018. The play follows six urbanites at a silent wellness retreat hosted by an unseen guru.

Plot

The play follows six city-dwelling strangers attending a multi-day silent wellness retreat: Jan, a Finnish pastor; Joan and Judy, a couple navigating relationship issues; Rodney, a handsome yoga teacher; Alicia, a former child actor; and Ned, a socially-awkward man afraid of the outdoors. The story unfolds largely through physical comedy and body language, led by a mysterious guru who is never seen.

Production history

2015 Ars Nova premiere

The play had its world premiere in 2015 Off-Broadway at Ars Nova, running from March 23, 2015 through April 11 of the same year. Directed by Rachel Chavkin, the production starred Erik Lochtefeld as Jan, Marcia DeBonis as Joan, Sakina Jaffrey as Judy, Jessica Almasy as Alicia, Brad Heberlee as Ned, Babak Tafti as Rodney and Jojo Gonzalez as the Teacher.

The play opened to positive reviews, with The New York Times calling it "a model of ingenuity" and praised the "fully rounded" characters, while Variety lauded Chavkin's direction as "supple," calling the show's slow transition from comedy to drama "shattering." For the play, along with her other works, Pretty Filthy and American Hero, Wohl received the 2015 Drama Desk Sam Norkin Off-Broadway Award.

2016 Signature Theatre Company production

The play was next seen Off-Broadway in 2016 at Signature Theatre Company, directed again by Chavkin. The majority of the world premiere production's cast reprised their roles, in addition to new cast members Quincy Tyler Bernstine as Judy, Max Baker as Jan and Zoë Winters as Alicia. The show opened on July 13, 2016 and was extended from its original closing date, running through October 9, 2026.

The production, like its original, was critically praised, with The New York Times claiming it "still sparkles" and Vulture praised it as "a terrific new play in a beautiful production." For the play, Wohl won the 2017 Outer Critics Circle John Gassner Award, and DeBonis was nominated for the 2017 Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance.

2017 U.S. national tour

In April 2017, a 24-week U.S. national tour of Small Mouth Sounds was announced, directed by Chavkin. The cast featured Connor Barrett as Jan, Socorro Santiago as Joan, Cherene Snow as Judy, Brenna Palughi as Alicia, Ben Beckley as Ned, Edward Chin-Lyn as Rodney and Orville Mendoza as the Teacher. The tour began in New Haven, Connecticut on August 29, 2017 and concluded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on April 1, 2018 after touring six cities.

Cast and characters

Awards and nominations

2015 Ars Nova production

2016 Signature Theatre Company production