RISING WATER CAN’T
FIND ITS CURRENT

A powerful premise sinks under
miscasting and flat pacing

John Biguenet’s Rising Water, a Pulitzer-nominated drama set in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, unfolds over a single night as a long-married New Orleans couple watches floodwater swallow their home. It’s an intimate survival story designed to ratchet tension minute by minute. Unfortunately, Theatre L’Acadie’s Chicago premiere rarely generates the urgency the premise demands.

Camille and Sugar awaken to find their home already knee-deep in water. With no time to gather supplies, they scramble into the attic and wait for rescue as the storm rages outside. Over the course of the night, they bicker, flirt, reminisce, and confront old wounds while the water continues to rise and hope slowly ebbs away.

The production’s technical elements do much of the heavy lifting. Brandii Champagne’s attic set captures the claustrophobic reality of storm survival with tar-paper roofing, scattered debris, and the familiar clutter of stored memories. Stefan Roseen’s sound design deepens the atmosphere, layering wind and water into a steadily tightening sonic vise.

Yet these strong design elements cannot overcome the play’s deeper issues. Because audiences already know the historical outcome of Hurricane Katrina, the early scenes feel dramatically stalled as characters speculate about events the audience understands far too well. Repeated dialogue about rising water and uncertain conditions quickly becomes repetitive, and the opening stretch feels longer than it should.

Director Erin Sheets approaches the story with methodical precision, but the danger never intensifies. The couple moves from step to step — attic to roof — with little shift in emotional stakes. Moments that should feel terrifying instead land as gentle bonding scenes, and the play struggles to build momentum.

As Camille, Kristin Thomas delivers a performance that lacks emotional urgency, while the chemistry between the central pair never ignites. In a two-hander, that absence is impossible to ignore. By contrast, Jelani Julyus brings warmth and sincerity to Sugar, offering a grounded and engaging performance that suggests what the production might have been.

There are flashes of beauty, particularly in the final moments, and Theatre L’Acadie’s previous work suggests this may be an anomaly. Still, Rising Water ultimately feels adrift, unable to translate a harrowing real-life event into sustained theatrical tension.

photos by Brandii Champagne

Rising Water
Theatre L’Acadie
Facility Theatre, 1138 N. California Ave., Chicago
ends on February 22, 2026
for tickets ($25 suggested donation; PWYC available), visit Theatre L’Acadie

for more shows, visit Theatre in Chicago

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