In the play, what happens when emotions come in conflict with principles, and how do choices under pressure define who we really are? The lobby of a Manhattan apartment building is much more than a waiting area for four New Yorkers involved in a murder investigation. It’s a testing ground for what happens when personal and professional personas find themselves at odds. A young security guard with big ambitions clashes with his stern boss, an intense rookie cop and her unpredictable partner in a play from the 2017 Oscar-winning writer of Manchester by the Sea.
Let's get the obvious question out of the way up front: Does Chris Evans cut it in his leap from the superhero universe to the naturalistic comedy-drama of Kenneth Lonergan's Lobby Hero? Absolutely. Evans fully inhabits his character of a vain but well-liked New York City career cop on track to make detective, who is quite comfortable rationalizing to himself abuses of power large and small in a profession where gender inequality and toxic masculinity come with the badge. The actor best known as Captain America brings plenty of cocky swagger, his thumbs hooked into his utility belt like an Old West cowboy with a bushy mustache to match, but his assured performance never aims to be a star turn. Rather, it's an integral part of an evenly balanced, four-person ensemble piece.
And as Lonergan's web of dilemmas grows more interesting, Henry's performance blossoms, riding an arc of injustice that seems to bend permanently away from a security guard with big plans and the wrong color of skin. It's powerful to watch him simmer and boil and wither, while Cera plays his downtrodden but still privileged foil. The rest of the show: It's got a lot of potential.
2001 | Off-Broadway |
Off-Broadway |
2001 | Off-Broadway |
Off-Broadway |
2018 | Broadway |
Second Stage Theater Original Broadway Production Broadway |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2018 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play | Brian Tyree Henry |
2018 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Chris Evans |
2018 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Brian Tyree Henry |
2018 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Play | Lobby Hero |
2018 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Play | Lobby Hero |
2018 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play | Michael Cera |
2018 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play | Brian Tyree Henry |
2018 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Lobby Hero |
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