Kenneth Lonergan's comedy THIS IS OUR YOUTH is coming to Broadway for the first time, directed by Tony Award winner Anna D. Shapiro and starring Michael Cera, Kieran Culkin, and Tavi Gevinson. THIS IS OUR YOUTH follows three wayward young people as they navigate 1982 New York, recreating their broken homes in both their dysfunctional friendships and their bungled attempts at finding love. THIS IS OUR YOUTH is a living snapshot of the moment when young people first find themselves on the threshold of adulthood-far more sophisticated than their parents realize, and far less effectual than they themselves can possibly imagine.
THIS IS OUR YOUTH reminds us why The New York Times calls Kenneth Lonergan "arguably the most important American playwright of the last 20 years," and why Slate calls him "the most potent dramatic voice of his generation."
Shapiro is more restricted here, working with a smaller, less practiced company on a play that, for all its appealing aspects, betrays both its age and the relative inexperience of its gifted creator. But she manages to mine the wry humor and pathos in Youth's portrait of privileged despair and spiritual malaise...Sadly, Gevinson, who plays Jessica, is the production's weak link. Squirming and shouting her lines in a high-pitched whine that suggests barely repressed hysteria, she overplays Jessica's feigned confidence and confusion, making Warren's enduring attraction to her less convincing. Still, under Shapiro's patient guidance, this Youth is intermittently funny and poignant -- and provides a timely reminder that when our economy and culture are fractured, even the young and well-off suffer.
Given a physically dynamic staging by director Anna D. Shapiro, 'This Is Our Youth' is diverting, and frequently funny. It does, though, go on too long. Stretched to 2 1/2 hours, it reveals its slenderness, as Dennis' bad behavior becomes repetitious, and we wait impatiently for his inevitable showdown with Warren. Despite that, it's the rare play that takes a serious and perceptive look at the challenging rituals and relationships people go through on the way to adulthood.
1996 | Off-Broadway |
Off-Broadway |
1998 | Off-Broadway |
Off-Broadway |
2014 | Broadway |
Broadway Premiere Production Broadway |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2015 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Play | Kenneth Lonergan |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Sonia Friedman |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Steppenwolf Theatre Company |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | John Johnson |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Sue Wagner |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Joey Parnes |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Fred Adler |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Catherine Adler |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Jhett Tolentino |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Joan Raffe |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Daryl Roth |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Heni Koenigsberg |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | The Araca Group |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Tulchin Bartner |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Stephanie P. McClelland |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Scott M. Delman |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Ruth Hendel |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | The Shubert Organization |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Roy Furman |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Jon B. Platt |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | William Berlind |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Roger Berlind |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Eli Bush |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Scott Rudin |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | This is Our Youth |
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