But it soon becomes clear that Thugs values its content as much as its commentary. Unfortunately, taken as anything other than performance art, Thugs is an abominable failure. Kline eventually breaks with her former partner and her employer, and leaves with Gail. Kline's resultant soul searching is the dramatic centerpiece of the second act. What hampers Thugs isn't the plot so much as its execution.
Characters are impossibly broad, making their actions arbitrary or uninteresting.
Even the play's promising fantastic elements become an avenue for narrative cheating, as when Gail uses her drug-induced clarity to instantly analyze Kline. Still, an energetic, experienced cast could have turned Averill's breezy language into a modest entertainment. Unfortunately, the very young cast avoids ensemble acting in favor of wildly divergent approaches by individual actors, destroying any chance for a cohesive tone. Only Fitzgerald and Kathleen M. Urich, as the daffy nurse Simon, distinguished themselves by interpreting the text simply and investing their characters with simple, revealing physical touches. Thugs may have played well in college, where the play was first performed, but no one outside of the classroom is impressed by putting slightly profane junk culture on its feet.