Still More Theater Saturday - This is Not a Drill

We received complimentary tickets to This is Not a Drill for review purposes. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own.

What: This is Not a Drill

Where: Theater at St. Jean's 

             150 E. 76th St.

              New York, NY

Who: Recommended for Ages 12 and Up

When: Through October 11, 2025

This is a Not a Drill is a new musical based on a true incident that occurred in 2018 in which the people of Hawaii were mistakenly warned of an alleged pending missile attack, which, of course, turned out to be false.  Thus, the show focuses on a group of characters who believe that they are facing their impending demise and how that affects them. Basically, the lesson is the same for all of them; life is precious, and you should hold onto your loved ones, except one character learns the opposite, namely, not to hold on to something that is irretrievably broken.  None of the storylines particularly stand out or are groundbreaking in any way. It is touching, however, how these people come together in a crisis, which gives the show a heartwarming found family vibe, and the performances are mostly good. 

The songs overall are not very memorable. At times, they seem too simplistic lyrically. It is not surprising that the show's main writer and composer is used to writing children's songs for the popular television show Barney. The staging of some of the songs seems odd. There is one song in particular in which a character is coming to a reckoning about her life, and suddenly, there is a whole crowd of people behind her in what seems like it should be more of a private moment.

There is a brief attempt to be socially relevant by addressing the issue of whether tourists are interested in learning about real native Hawaiian culture or merely the stereotype ot it and whether the tourist industry panders to and perpetuates the stereotype. However, the issue is quickly dropped and never thoroughly addressed. If they had delved more into this issue, it would have made the story more interesting, more unique, and more relevant. 

And that's our view. For more about This is a Drill or to purchase tickets, visit www.yorktheatre.org/this-is-not-a-drill

Tune in tomorrow for this week's Sunday Scoop. 

Photo credits:

All This is Not a Drill productions by Carol Rosegg

Images used in this post were sent by publicists, artists, and/or  PR firms and are used by permission.  Address any concerns regarding image usage here.