The setting of this show may be listed as “a couch in the void” (I still can’t piece that one together given it’s also listed as Idaho, and yes, all that’s onstage is a couch), but what Samuel D. Hunter has filled into this void along with that couch is a case of familial drama at its finest; a tale of old wounds, surprising restarts, shattered hearts, and, above all, connection in the worst of times. These are what make up the DNA of “Little Bear Ridge Road,” the freshest new and entirely original play I’ve come to see in a really long time, and especially in a season that’s falling hard into the lackluster category.
A hidden gem of a play at the current moment, but I hope more theatergoers get the chance to spread the word and reveal its theatrical beauty and all its tightly woven character dynamics/relationships and one of a kind take on the family genre as simply a two handler and a familial relation that, to my knowledge, had never been dug into as much as it does here. How often is it you’re not focusing on parent/child and/or sibling relationships and instead on an unlikely pairing: an aunt and her nephew both long estranged, both on their own and isolated (in a multitude of ways; one of them being a certain event in recent years), and both trying and facing the trials of working to reconnect with each other, the world, and even their own selves with varying results. It makes the whole theatrical genre feel fresh all over again.
You’re never bored watching these two standing around and sitting on a couch. Hunter’s evocative and provocative dichotomy, and wildly impressive use of symbolism in what may be the simplest of things in the world, is a sumptuous melting pot of seat-edging intensity that pushes you to want more and knockout ribbing with snarky remarks that tell it like it is that it becomes surprising that comedy is actually on the menu at this one. There’s never a dull lull that comes up in the span of its 90 minutes. And who better to lead it in making sure that all of Hunter’s work flys off the script than a great like Joe Mantello? He knows a thing or two on how to make the simplistic feel full of life, and with all its complexities in tow.
And then bringing all the drama to life is the fantastic pairing of Laurie Metcalf and Micah Stock. Both of these seasoned vets hold their own (Metcalf with her brazen wit and well-oiled timing; Stock with unabashed vulnerability and Midwest charm), but still come together knowing what the other needs to press forward and having done the shared homework to make this not-often-presented relationship go into full bloom night after night. The chemistry is off the charts and the work shines through in each of their singular and shared interpretations of two well written and richly developed characters you will form as much of a love/hate relationship with as the one the two onstage have (maybe not as intense for you though).
In a season that looks to be dominated by plays, you won’t find anything as original as “Little Bear Ridge Road.” You’ll laugh, you’ll feel heated, you’ll tear up, and if all works out you’ll walk away from it holding onto its theme of connection in an all-too sheltered world and realizing that everyone, no matter the age, is still growing up and learning how to be a full-fledged, fulfilled, and functioning person. This play doesn’t give you the handbook on how to do that, but it might make you realize we can all connect on this point in one way or another.
