THE STORY: In a first-ring suburb just outside a city that might be Detroit, Ben and Mary see sudden signs of life at the deserted house next door and invite their new neighbors Sharon and Kenny over for a barbecue. As the action unfolds we learn that Sharon and Kenny met at rehab, neither is employed, and they don’t own a stick of furniture. The quintessential American backyard party turns quickly turns into something more dangerous—and filled with potential.
“…sly, timely and neatly surprising…very much an of-the-moment American play…D’Amour perfectly captures a certain pervasive lifestyle of today: atomized, mediated, ersatz and culturally leveled…cascading, hilarious monologues and minutely calibrated chitchat.” —Time Out New York.
“A sharp X-ray of the embattled American psyche as well as a smart, tart critique of the country’s fraying social fabric, Ms. D’Amour’s dark comedy is as rich and addictively satisfying as a five-layer dip served up with a brimming bowl of tortilla chips.” —The New York Times.
“…totally nails the great, deep malaise of middle-class suburbia, with a sustained energy and a wicked eye for telling details…funny as hell.” —New York Post.
“…a tense, terrific, funny new play.” —New York Observer.
“…savvy, frequently poetic, and ultimately bittersweet…” —TheaterMania.
