Comeuppance

Comeuppance
Written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
Directed by Eric Ting
Signature Theatre
July 8, 2023
Production website
πŸ’‰πŸ’‰πŸ’‰πŸ’‰ out of 5.

Comeuppance really had me worried in the first few moments. Any play that begins with a character speaking directly to the audience and pretending to be β€œdeath” seems to be going down the wrong tedious path. I had very low expectations. Once the play moved through this monologue, however, I was very surprised as to how wonderful it was.  A group of 30-somethings were gathered on the porch of the central characters house, all doing a bit of a pre-game libations before they go to the 20th high school reunion. The characters were so rich and interesting. They had the most complicated and interesting of relationships. I quickly forgot about the death character!  The play then speaks of how they all survived the Columbine shootings, the war in Baghdad, 9/11 and even the January 6 march against the capital. But most importantly, how they all survived the Covid nightmare. 

Grey House

Grey House
Written by Levi Holloway
Directed by Joe Mantello
Lyceum Theatre
July 8, 2023
Production website
πŸ’‰πŸ’‰πŸ’‰πŸ’‰πŸ’‰ out of 5.

Grey House is a terrific play. I had the most interesting first moment of a play ever.Β Β At what you presume is a realist world with a realistic set, and just as this crazy girl was crossing over to the kitchen, I saw a kitchen drawer open and close by itself. I thought was that an accident on stage because it was so small. Was I the only one who caught it? That made me curious. But the play only got more curiouser and curiouser as it went on. The premise of the play is straightforward. It involves a young couple out on the road, almost missing a deer, and needing to find shelter in a snowstorm. That part is clear. But from there, it’s anyone’s guess.