On learning of his mother’s death, country music icon Strings McCrane (Adam Driver) finds himself in an existential tailspin. The only way out, he decides, is to abandon superstardom in favor of the simple life, so he moves back to his hometown in Tennessee. The simple life turns out to be anything but simple in this brilliantly observed tragicomedy, as the consequences of Strings’s success and mind-bending effects of his fame prove all but impossible to outrun.
Everybody knows he’s a fine actor, but who knew that Adam Driver could be so gosh-darned charming? Driver’s delightful performance as a showbiz superstar melting down in an existential crisis rockets Hold on to Me Darling into hot-ticket status at the Lucille Lortel Theatre, where its production opened on Wednesday. Already the show is said to be practically a sell-out for the remainder of its two-month run at the 299-seat Off Broadway house.
This sequence first feels rushed, and a too-late story-changing add-on. However, like all the other things that should not work in a long play, this finds its smooth right spot in the adept hands of Pepe and his very good cast, led by Driver. The actor masters the art of quiet bafflement and existential muddle. His furrowed brow is broken only by one extended moment of menace; when that happens, primed for a Driver explosion of some kind, you anticipate, ultimately in vain, the inevitable detonation. Instead, Hold on to Me Darling retains its subtle mischief, gentle unspooling, and dry execution right to the end, scoring a true original in the process—in this role, Adam Driver doesn’t go off.
| 2016 | Off-Broadway |
World Premiere Off-Broadway Production Off-Broadway |
| 2024 | Off-Broadway |
Off-Broadway Revival Off-Broadway |
| Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play | Frank Wood |
| 2025 | Drama League Awards | DISTINGUISHED PERFORMANCE | Adam Driver |
| 2025 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Performer in an Off-Broadway Play | Frank Wood |
| 2025 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Lead Performer in an Off-Broadway Play | Adam Driver |
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