9 / 10
That’s thankfully not the case with The Unknown, receiving its world premiere at Off-Broadway’s Studio Seaview. Starring Sean Hayes, this endlessly tricky solo drama by David Cale is less a confessional monologue than a scarily gothic tale of shifting identities. It’s the rare one-person play that you can imagine as a fully fleshed-out film, perhaps directed by Brian De Palma.
7 / 10
Thematically, however, the play is too diffuse for its own good. Over its 75 minutes, it skims over juicy ideas about identity, creativity, desire (“I Wish You’d Wanted Me,” a fictional song from a show Elliott wrote, is a recurring motif), rejection, isolation, and friendship without diving deep.
BroadwayWorld has just learned that Leigh Silverman’s production of David Cale’s new play THE UNKNOWN, starring Tony, Emmy & SAG Award winner Sean Hayes, has recouped its $1.125 million capitalization during its 10-week record-breaking run at Studio Seaview.
In celebration of the final week of its run, The Unknown, starring Sean Hayes, will be available to audiences worldwide during its final weekend on stage through a scheduled, captured live, streaming event from Studio Seaview.
You can now get a first look at opening night of The Unknown starring Tony, Emmy & SAG Award winning actor Sean Hayes. The Unknown is a gripping new play about a writer on the edge.
See what the critics are saying about The Unknown, a new solo show starring Tony, Emmy and SAG Award winning actor Sean Hayes. The new one-man play is written by acclaimed and award-winning playwright David Cale and directed by Tony Award nominee Leigh Silverman.
You can now get a first look at production photos of The Unknown starring Tony, Emmy and SAG Award winning actor Sean Hayes, being presented at Studio Seaview.
Sean Hayes is back onstage this season in The Unknown, presented by Studio Seaview. The new one-man play is written by acclaimed and award-winning playwright David Cale and directed by Tony Award nominee Leigh Silverman. Watch in this video as the whole team discusses what the new play is all about!
Get a first look inside rehearsals for The Unknown starring Tony, Emmy and SAG Award winning actor Sean Hayes. Desperate to cure his writer’s block, Elliott retreats to a remote cabin—only to discover he may not be alone.
Tony, Emmy & SAG Award winning actor Sean Hayes will return to the New York stage in THE UNKNOWN, a new one-man play by playwright David Cale, directed by Tony Award nominee Leigh Silverman.
| Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Sound Design of a Play | Caroline Eng |
| 2026 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Solo Performance | Sean Hayes |
| 2026 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Sound Design | Caroline Eng |
| 2026 | The Lortels | Outstanding Lighting Design | Cha See |
| 2026 | The Lortels | Outstanding Sound Design | Caroline Eng |
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