THE HANGOVER REPORT – Kenneth Lonergan’s gently heartbreaking LOBBY HERO marks Second Stage’s straight-to-Broadway debut

Chris Evans and Michael Cera star in Second Stage's production of Kenneth Lonergan's "Lobby Hero" at the Helen Hayes Theatre.

Chris Evans and Michael Cera star in Second Stage’s production of Kenneth Lonergan’s “Lobby Hero” at the Helen Hayes Theatre.

With Kenneth Lonergan’s Lobby Hero, Second Stage makes its straight-to-Broadway debut, re-inaugurating the cleanly refurbished Helen Hayes Theatre at the same time. I’ve long had a soft spot for Mr. Lonergan’s gently heartbreaking 2001 play about New York cops and security guards fumbling and mostly failing at life. It was one of the first plays to demonstrate for me (via a terrific 2002 production at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre) the potency of simply serving observant playwriting and sharply drawn characters; no need for overly dramatic plots, a satiric tone, nor elaborate scene changes to make an impact.

Luckily, Trip Cullman understands the play on a fundamental level, as exemplified by his deceptively workmanlike, exactly calibrated production. He also coaxes some excellent, quietly plaintive performances from his quartet of actors – Michael Cera, Chris Evans, Brian Tyree Henry and Bel Powley. They disappear into their roles so beautifully (movie star hunk Mr. Evans is all but unrecognizable) and manage react to each other in deeply human and often unexpected ways; it’s all pretty gorgeous to behold. Listen closely to these characters, and you’ll find it hard not to get deeply invested in their respective plights.

Lobby Hero may not be the splashiest thing on Broadway – far from it, in fact – but it’s exactly the kind of exquisitely written, no-nonsense drama that the Great White Way has been chronically starved for of late. In this clear-eyed play (particularly in this beautifully acted production), Mr. Lonergan lovingly holds a mirror to the audience – these flawed, desperately striving creatures deserve our attention and respect.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

 

LOBBY HERO
Broadway, Play
Second Stage Theater at the Helen Hayes Theatre
2 hours, 25 minutes (with one intermission)
Through May 13

Categories: Broadway, Theater

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