Photo courtesy of Capital Fringe.

By DCist contributor Seth Rose

Reminds us of: House of Cards with a Boardwalk Empire aesthetic

Flop, Fine or Fringe-tastic? Fine.

Most Americans know about the mad court held by Senator Joseph McCarthy, but fewer know about one of its more tragic victims: Lester Hunt, a Democratic senator driven to suicide by a witch hunt aimed at his homosexual son by McCarthy’s allies. Jean Bordewich aims to fill this knowledge gap with HUNT, her dramatization of Hunt’s tragic fall. Buoyed by several understated and strong performances, Bordewich has created a compelling snapshot of a dark period of American history that can never be remembered enough.

HUNT is very much an actor’s show. Terry Loveman does a fine job as the titular Hunt, but his supporting cast shines with equal brightness. Scott Cummings as Senator Styles Bridges embodies the confident calculation of a McCarthy-backed Republican out for blood, and Gary Dubreil’s Senator Herman Welker complements him nicely as the youthful zealot motivated more by personal disgust than cold politics. On the other side of the moral spectrum, Brice Guerriere as Senator Hunt’s son Buddy brings careful nuance to a portrait of a boy not yet sure who’s ripping him apart. The performances almost outpace the script at points, as some smaller characters—Welker and Buddy in particular—don’t get enough time to really come into their own. The focus on Senator Hunt himself is understandable, but it does come with a cost.

Still, HUNT seems to accomplish exactly what it sets out to do by providing just a little bit more illumination on a time when our collective moral compass seemed to cease functioning. In a political climate with similar threads starting to come into focus, there’s no better time to think back.

HUNT is playing at the Mead Theatre Lab Flashpoint on July 16 at 2:30 p.m., July 19 at 8:45 P.M., July 22 at 6:45 p.m. and July 24 at 2:15 p.m.

See here for more of DCist’s Capital Fringe 2016 reviews.