ELLENVILLE, NY — Let’s begin by wishing Shadowland Stages a happy 41st anniversary season. And then let’s say a hearty congratulations for opening this 2026 season with a play as thought-provoking, captivating and engrossing as “The Reservoir” by Jake Brasch.

Flawlessly directed by Stephen Nachamie, “The Reservoir” tells the story of Josh (Harrison Bryan), a young, gay alcoholic who was recently thrown out of college and rehab. Passed out on the stage, he awakes in Denver, CO next to the Cherry Creek Reservoir, with no idea of how he got there.

What follows is a reunion of sorts with Patricia (Rebecca Pitcher), his very angry mother. He also becomes reacquainted with his four grandparents, Beverly and Shrimpy (Lori Wilner and Joel Leffert) and Irene and Hank (Joy Franz and Steve Brady).

Even though his alcohol-fermented brain doesn’t remember how to alphabetize, Josh gets a job shelving books in a bookstore, which is run by Hugo (Harrison Zraly).

As he tries to find himself, make amends and regain sobriety, Josh’s life is complicated by temptation and the dementia affecting members of his family. So Josh’s brain fog coincides with his grandparents’ memory decline.

It’s complicated, but it’s full of love, and Nachamie’s direction along with the talent of the seven actors keeps the action flowing smoothly.

Mixing drama with comedy—it’s characterized as a “dramedy”—the play offers lots of laughs and some happy moments intertwined with desperation and despair. In other words, it’s life!

There’s a lot of heart in “The Reservoir.” Even through the anger and disappointment, the characters honestly care for one another.

Bryan’s Josh is frenetic, moving quickly and loosely, which mirrors his inner turmoil and confusion. He’s silly and sad and searching. And because he takes the audience into his confidence by breaking the fourth wall from the very beginning, you can’t help but love this kid.

And that’s exactly what his grandparents do. The foursome of Wilner, Leffert, Brady and Franz operate as a true ensemble, working to encourage and stabilize and love their grandson, even as some of them spiral into dementia. Their distinctive personalities and mannerisms all add to the telling of a loving and heartwarming story.

Versatility reigns with Pitcher playing multiple roles of mother, aerobics instructor, alcoholic, rabbi and author. Ditto for Zraly, who plays a forest ranger, Josh’s boss, a nursing home aide, an author and a college counselor. And there is never any doubt as to who’s who.

“The Reservoir,” which recently completed a run off-Broadway, was nominated for an Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play. Actually, “outstanding” is an understatement.