"Though its words are well chosen and artfully placed, Tracy Letts’s 'Man From Nebraska' has a radiant respect for what cannot be said...An uncommonly gentle and compassionate work, which anatomizes characters and situations so classic that they are often dismissed as clichés...Very much of what happens in this production’s ephemeral pools of light feels uncannily like life itself, unaccommodating and bewildering, utterly familiar and gloriously inexplicable."
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"Letts can do grotesque and emotionally raw, but here he reins in his darkest dramatic impulses. The writing builds up a humane character study, but it rarely raises the room temperature...At its core, the play—handsomely staged by Cromer and scrupulously acted by a fine ensemble—is about choosing a path in life versus accepting what sociology hands you. That’s a perfectly juicy theme, but Letts makes it less a shocking journey to enlightenment than a dutiful stroll round the block."
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"The chemistry between Birney and director David Cromer is nearly as palpable as Ken’s with the people who orbit him at home and in London. Cromer is a devotee of understatement that heightens reality, and in Birney he has the perfect instrument for that. The production transcends even that terrific performance with a company that has no weakness...A dazzler – a great show."
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"'Man from Nebraska' just goes in circles...It’s a double disappointment from Tracy Letts...Weirdly, Ken’s life-changing question of faith falls aside as he drinks, drops ecstacy and tries his hand at art. Letts raises a provocative idea but fails to follow through. And when a play turns this hollow even a fine ensemble doesn’t have a prayer."
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"Under Cromer’s suggestive direction, the life of Ken Carpenter (Birney) teeters on some existential ledge between darkness and darker darkness...Birney is marvelous to watch as this decent man struggles to find his moral footing in a strange new landscape. Laughing at Ken’s innocence is not an option, because Birney treats that innocence with respect...By the end of his existential journey, he has not only earned his faith, he’s also earned ours."
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"It must be said that once Letts establishes his provocative premise, he doesn’t develop it in fully compelling fashion. The episodic play moves in fits and starts, marred at times by lugubrious pacing and narrative digressions...Nonetheless, under the sensitive direction of David Cromer, 'Man From Nebraska' resonates with deep emotion, its multidimensional characters pulsing with humanity. Not surprisingly, the proceedings are often drolly funny despite the serious subject matter."
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"A sensitive look at the limited time we have on earth and how that time is governed by the constant struggle between obligation and desire...Birney encases Ken in a cordial falseness, so that we are never quite certain that he means what he says, a trait that has fascinating implications for the end of the play...A combination of Letts' astute writing and Birney's sympathetic performance never allows us to completely discount his feelings, mired in privilege though they may be."
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"Deceptively little seems to happen in the first several scenes of Tracy Letts' riveting 'Man from Nebraska,' now receiving a superb New York premiere...Birney's performance is exceptional and jarring as this character, who exudes respectfully low-key masculinity, is now bent over in tears...Director David Cromer does a fine job of making the mundane everyday living of Ken and Nancy's home life seem an attractive option for those who require a comfortable safety net."
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