The Bathroom Attendant

 The Bathroom Attendant
Sparkplug Productions
125 Bank Street Theatre
August 15, 2026 

Photo courtesy of Sparkplug Productions
& The Bathroom Attendant

The stakes are high from the opening moment of Tom Kelly’s play, The Bathroom Attendant, and continue to rise until they reach a deadly height. The dialogue is raw and the characters are desperate for a pay off.  Director Andrew Block magnifies the urgency and pushes this amazing cast to the edge. 

It is 2018 in a rundown apartment complex outside Las Vegas.  Johnny (played by Dan Patrick Brady), a one-time prize fighting champion, gets a surprise visit from Connor (played by Evan Klein), the nephew of one of his childhood friends from Brooklyn.  What starts out as reminiscing of the good old days and gathering autographs on fight memorabilia turns into partnering on a blackmail scheme.  Connor witnessed and videoed a well-loved baseball star beating a young woman in the parking lot of the Bellagio the previous night.  He knows he can get a large amount of money for the video if he threatens to turn it over to the tabloids.  Johnny’s friend Tina (played by Kate Miller) gets in on the scheme because she has a friend at the Bellagio who could deliver a still photo from the video with their message to the baseball star.  They come up with a fool proof plan that falls apart one piece at a time, plunging them into unexpected danger. 

Evan Klein, Dan Partick Brady, & Kate Miller
Photo courtesy of Sparkplug Productions & The Bathroom Attendant

Dan Patrick Brady viscerally portrays Johnny, this down-and-out champion who is chased by loan sharks and working as a bathroom attendant.  Kate Miller equally matches his grit as Tina.  She has more optimism than Johnny, but her years working in adult films taught her how to be tough.  Evan Klein portrays Connor as naive and starstruck.  What he witnesses and experiences drastically changes him.  The dynamic between these three characters drives the action, and these three actors make it work beautifully.  Their banter builds in tension and impact, until it reaches the point of no return. 

Mari Blake as Bambi
Photo courtesy of Sparkplug Productions & The Bathroom Attendant

Mari Blake plays Bambi, the young woman who is beaten on the video.  Tina uncovers some information about her identity, but the audience only gets brief glimpses of her, until the final scene.  Ms. Blake uses the backstory established from Tina’s inquiry to portray a character lost in despair.  She and Mr. Klien create powerful moments in this short final scene that put them on an equal plane.  It is a powerful ending to a jarring story.

The Bathroom Attendant is playing at 124 Bank Street Theatre through August 30.  It is an unsettling play, skillfully written, directed, and performed.    

Domenick Danza