It Ends With Guinea Pigs

“It Ends With Guinea Pigs” closed the United Solo Festival with force and unusual charm. Diana Gitelman delivers a performance that moves through hope, love, defeat, and perseverance with a confidence that makes even the strangest material feel inevitable.

The show begins in a way that seems almost deliberately confusing. The concept feels too odd to hold. Yet the chaos becomes its own language, and the tale of guinea pigs slowly reveals itself as an entry point into generational trauma. Gitelman handles this shift with remarkable skill. She is brazen, clear, and deeply committed. What starts as bewilderment becomes understanding. The audience is pulled into the recognition that the strangeness is not a gimmick. It is a path toward healing.

Faline England’s direction amplifies the work. The movement is precise and expressive. The stage pictures are bold without being heavy-handed. By the time the final moments arrive, the cohesion of the design feels like a reward. The technical elements match the ambition of the performance and give the festival a memorable closing jolt.

What stands out most is the show’s ability to take a seemingly absurd idea and use it to uncover something true. A story about guinea pigs becomes a meditation on ancestry and survival, told with humor and fire. It suggests that theatre can still surprise us, still reshape how we see ourselves as lovers and dreamers.

A striking and imaginative finale.

It Ends With Guinea Pigs

Performed on November 22

at The 19th Annual United Solo Theatre Festival

October 14 through November 23, 2025

Theatre Row (410 West 42nd Street, NYC)

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Matthew is an award-winning playwright and actor! While he loves being on the stage and writing theatrical-thought-provoking-innovational plays, his passions follow him backstage as well! As a student studying business and consulting for entertainment at the School of Professional Studies, CUNY, BBA. Matthew is honored to work on this special showcase full of talent and hardworking individuals. He's selected previous theatrical experience includes Those Who Remained at La Mama E.T.C. (Producer, Props), BMCC CUNY (stage management and performance degree), The Lake (Playwright), and Earth (playwright). He is extremely grateful for the mentors and individuals, and organizations that have given him his resources and support to keep theatre alive. @matthew.d.foster