THE STORY: When Kevin, the grandson of a World War II combat veteran, returns early from yet another college, he learns that his deeply troubled sister is about to be married. With renewed hope, he attempts to reconcile his family with the abusive father who left them years before. Amidst the thin walls of their Levittown home, the members of this beleaguered family are forced to confront a concealed history, the self-destructive nature that has plagued them for generations, and the failure of faiths onto which they have desperately held.
“Marc Palmieri’s LEVITTOWN is as basic and old-fashioned as the houses in the planned communities of the title. There is nothing fancy here as the family secrets are revealed—no incest or fetus buried in the basement—just raw emotion and crippling inability to communicate. You won’t stop watching for a second.” —The New York Times.
“Consistently engrossing…Within those bland, cookie-cutter houses may lurk a hotbed of seething family dysfunction. This is a family that—if its home were a bit more picturesque—could give Eugene O’Neill’s and Arthur Miller’s clans a run for their money. [Palmieri] has a firm grasp of his characters and their milieu.” —New York Post.
“We don’t typically quibble with Tolstoy, but are unhappy families really so different? Or are they rather like the endless rows of postwar homes that William Levitt built on Long Island? What seemed stable and well-intentioned is revealed as restrictive, slapdash, even claustrophobic. Striking exchanges…distinct characters…” —Village Voice.
“A drama that’ll send you screaming out of the family room. Interesting, mine-filled terrain…[LEVITTOWN] reveals the damaging side of paternal love, reaching heights of agony that are painful to watch.” —Time Out New York.
“Palmieri’s characters are quite full, and the details of gritty Long Island life come vividly alive through exacting detail and a naturalistic tone. The scenes with Richard are especially riveting, written with sharp, cutting dialogue that keeps you on edge.” —Backstage.
“A gripping, powerful play. Beautifully crafted, psychologically intriguing, and never predictable. Palmieri draws full characters with distinct personalities. The conventional and the unexpected mix regularly with very fresh results.” —NY Theatre.
“Call him the Iago of Long Island. Palmieri’s disquieting new play LEVITTOWN features one of the most compelling modern villains to grace the New York stage this year…a truly exhilarating
