When a couple crashes their car in the mountains, they seek shelter in an isolated cabin. Its inhabitants, though somewhat unusual, are eager to make their guests feel right at home. But as the blizzard outside rages on and one night turns into several, the couple becomes less and less sure of what's true—about their hosts, themselves, and why that sound in the walls keeps getting louder.
Even with the likely post-performance discussions and musings about 'meaning,' the greatest strength of this production of Grey House is the consistency of its preternatural mood. That is all thanks to its fully committed cast, to Joe Mantello's sharply focused direction, and to the design team of Scott Pask, whose set draws us into both the seen and unseen areas of the cabin; Rudy Mance, whose costumes provide both contemporary and appropriately dated looks that help us differentiate between the living and the dead; and Natasha Katz's lighting and Tom Gibbons' sound design that gives the entire production its air of disquietude. I like that word 'disquietude.' It is the best description I can think of for Grey House. Nothing that jumps out at you, just a series of inexplicable and ominous moments that hold things together until the very end.
As always, director Joe Mantello has gotten uniformly superb performances from everyone on stage; the cast gets a gold star for their commitment to this uneven material. On the downside, Mantello could pick up the pacing a little, the play often seems to be limping (just like Henry) to its conclusion as we impatiently wait for all to be revealed. And here’s the biggest rub: when everything is “explained,” you might still be unsure of what you just saw. That’s sadly not by design, but because Holloway’s plot ultimately turns out to be a little too complicated for its own good. Moreover, Holloway pays too much attention to the paranormal and not enough to the play’s psychological underpinnings; only if you have a lot of time to reflect on what you’ve seen can you really understand what the work is ultimately about.
General Rush
Price: $35
Where: Lyceum Theatre box office
When: Rush tickets are available in person, day of performance when the box office opens (10am - Mon through Sat & 12pm on Sundays starting May 28).
Limit: Two per customer
Information: Determined at the discretion of the box office. Subject to daily availability.
Digital Lottery
Price: $43 (+ $2 facility fee + $5 service charge)
Where: greyhouselottery.com
When: Patrons may enter thel ottery from 12am to 3pm one day before the performance.
Limit: Two per customer
Information: Subject to availability.
2023 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2024 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Lighting Design of a Play | Natasha Katz |
2024 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Scenic Design of a Play | Scott Pask |
2024 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Sound Design of a Play | Tom Gibbons |
2024 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Sound Design (Broadway or Off-Broadway) | Tom Gibbons |
2024 | Tony Awards | Best Lighting Design of a Play | Natasha Katz |
2024 | Tony Awards | Best Sound Design of a Play | Tom Gibbons |
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