Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Sassy and tender, Laura Winters’ surprisingly pointed ALL OF ME is a tale of boy meets girl, with a twist

• By drediman
• May 19, 2024
• No Comments

This spring, The New Group is presenting the New York premiere of Laura Winter’s new play All of Me at Off-Broadway’s Pershing Square Signature Center. First seen at Barrington Stage two years ago, the work tells the story of two young adults — both severely disabled — who must navigate a budding romantic relationship despite drastic differences between their respective socio-economic backgrounds. Like Martyna Majok’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play Cost of Living, All of Me is a fantastic addition to the growing list of theatrical works not only featuring disabled characters, but putting their realities unavoidably front and center.

Despite its familiar and easily digestible romantic comedy formula, Winters’ play is nonetheless intelligently constructed and frankly ultimately one of the more moving family dramas I’ve seen this season (joining plays like Paula Vogel’s Tony-nominated Mother Play, which is currently enjoying an acclaimed limited run on Broadway). In turn tender and sassy, All of Me is also quite funny as it makes pointed observations on class relations, particularly as it relates to views on disability. Most importantly, the playwright has managed to create flawed yet fully-formed characters that we can cheer for, particularly impressive given the incorporation of her stealthily veiled agenda and text-to-speech technology into the text. That the play ends on such a satisfyingly hopeful note that’s well earned is a testament to Winters’ sensitive yet crowd-pleasing writing.

The New Group production has been thoughtfully directed by Ashley Brooke Monroe, whose smartly-designed, well-paced production also incorporates some rather skillful scooter blocking. In terms of performances, they’re pretty terrific across the board. As the young lovers, Madison Ferris (I’m still haunted by her performance as Laura in the Sally Fields The Glass Menagerie) and Danny J. Gomez give affecting and authentic performances, and there’s obvious chemistry between them. Perhaps the most recognizable name in the cast is film actress Kyra Sedgwick, who’s ideal as a stubborn, frustrated mother in denial. Rounding out the cast are Lily Mae Harrington, Florencia Lozano, and Brian Furey Morabito, all of whom breathe vivid life into their lovingly-wrought characters.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

ALL OF ME
Off-Broadway, Play
The New Group at Pershing Square Signature Center
2 hours, 10 minutes (with one intermission)
Through June 16