Tesseract Theatre Company Opens The Regional Premiere of THE INHERITANCE Parts 1 and 2
Skillful direction and superb acting create poignant storytelling in Part 1 of Matthew Lopez's epic tale of contemporary gay life in New York.
Last evening Tesseract Theatre Company and Director Stephen Peirick took a packed house at The Marcelle on the first half of an epic journey. In what is the most demanding theatrical endeavor of the 2024 St. Louis Theater season, Tesseract opened the regional premiere with Part 1 of Matthew Lopez’s Tony and Olivier winning THE INHERITANCE. A complete review of this work will not be published until after seeing Part 2, but after witnessing this company’s transcendent and transformative performance of Part 1 I was compelled to write a micro-review.
Stephen Peirick’s vision and direction leads his cast in a perfectly paced production that wrings all the emotion out of Lopez’s poetic prose which is both humorous and heartbreaking. He elicited genuine, heartfelt, and droll performances from his entire cast. Peirick has created a gripping, provocative, and mesmerizing piece of theatre. The story is so well told that it seems as if the curtain is falling in scant moments after the show begins.
Part 1 focuses on the fracturing relationship of middle-aged couple Eric (Chris Kernan) and Toby (Gabriel Paul) and their established friendships, budding relationships, and encounters with men across three generations. Their lives are influenced and upended by their upstairs wealthy neighbors Walter (Alex C. Moore) and Henry (Johnathan Hey), and a young actor Adam (Tyson Cole). Kernan, Paul, Moore, Hey, and Cole all bravely inhabit their characters with magnificently raw, unfiltered, and exposing performances that leave the audience wanting more. They are supported by a stellar cast of 7 actors who cover multiple roles as friends, family members, and narrators who advance the story.
The only issue with THE INHERITANCE Part 1 is that I must now wait an entire week to see Part 2, which I am eagerly anticipating. I felt compelled to publish this brief overview and implore audiences to grab the remaining tickets for both Parts 1 and 2 before it sells out. THE INHERITANCE Part 1 is impactful dramatic storytelling at its finest. The buzz in the lobby following the performance was galvanic. Do not miss your chance to experience this phenomenally well-acted and superbly directed production of Matthew Lopez’s epic award-winning play.
There is one opportunity to see Parts 1 and 2 back-to-back at a matinee and evening performance on Saturday, May 4th at 2:00 PM and 7:30 PM. Here are the remaining performances for both parts of THE INHERITANCE:
THE INHERITANCE PART 1
April 27th, 7:30 PM, The Marcelle
April 28th, 2:00 PM, The Marcelle
May 4th, 2:00 PM, The Marcelle
THE INHERITANCE PART 2
May 2nd, 7:30 PM, The Marcelle
May 3rd, 7:30 PM, The Marcelle
May 4th, 7:30 PM, The Marcelle
May 5th, 2:00 PM, The Marcelle
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