Kenneth Lonergan's comedy THIS IS OUR YOUTH is coming to Broadway for the first time, directed by Tony Award winner Anna D. Shapiro and starring Michael Cera, Kieran Culkin, and Tavi Gevinson. THIS IS OUR YOUTH follows three wayward young people as they navigate 1982 New York, recreating their broken homes in both their dysfunctional friendships and their bungled attempts at finding love. THIS IS OUR YOUTH is a living snapshot of the moment when young people first find themselves on the threshold of adulthood-far more sophisticated than their parents realize, and far less effectual than they themselves can possibly imagine.
THIS IS OUR YOUTH reminds us why The New York Times calls Kenneth Lonergan "arguably the most important American playwright of the last 20 years," and why Slate calls him "the most potent dramatic voice of his generation."
Steppenwolf's revival of 'This Is Our Youth,' Kenneth Lonergan's 1996 play about disaffected rich kids in the Reagan era, might be re-titled (or marketed as) 'These Are Your Parents.' These post-adolescent slackers living on Manhattan's Upper West Side in 1982 could easily have grown up to reproduce themselves as our current crop of privileged youth. In fact, this demographic is turning out in strong numbers for the show, drawn by its cast of baby stars Michael Cera, Kieran Culkin and Tavi Gevinson. That makes two generations of potential ticket buyers for this superbly directed staging. We can see the family theater parties now.
Despite this difficulty and a final scene that over-enunciates themes and conflicts, This Is Our Youth is rich and sad and wry in its cruel-to-be-kind portrayal of disillusioned adolescents struggling to take up the business and onus of grown-up life. How do you put away childish things, it asks, when you aren't ready to pick up adult ones?
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