In the 5,000 years they’ve been married, George and Maggie Antrobus have survived wars, plagues, floods, and everything in between. Now they're running low on food – and a massive glacier is headed toward their New Jersey home. An epic, timely comedy about the endurance of human spirit, Thornton Wilder’s THE SKIN OF OUR TEETH follows one “everyfamily” through the great struggles and triumphs of the human experience. Led by innovative director Lileana Blain-Cruz in a production that speaks directly to our current moment, this Pulitzer Prize-winning classic with additional material by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins is a profound reminder that life is always worth living – no matter how difficult things get.
Lincoln Center Theater's major new revival of the play, directed by Lileana Blain-Cruz, with additional material by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins and the tireless efforts of an exemplary cast, does, in fact, afford some newfound vitality for a work so often more admired than loved. An exercise in endurance - for the cast, for the audience - The Skin of Our Teeth long ago passed along the novelty of its time-tripping, allegorical flourishes to subsequent (and, frankly, less laborious) heirs, from Caryl Churchill to Tony Kushner to the Wachowskis, so any attempt to meet and rise above the play's inherent challenges would seem to require a vision, maybe a ruthlessness and certainly a firm grasp of the play's continued reason for being.
The dinosaur earned its entrance applause. Thornton Wilder's play The Skin of Our Teeth, a fantastical tragicomedy about the end of the world, calls for a dinosaur and a woolly mammoth. Typical productions have actors donning animal costumes. But the new Broadway revival of The Skin of Our Teeth goes full Jurassic Park (with the budget to match), with a gigantic brontosaurus, puppeteered by three people, lumbering onto the stage. A two-person-controlled woolly mammoth follows closely behind. These formidable, playful puppets (designed by James Ortiz) inspired gasps of shock and delightful laughter in the audience the night I went. Unfortunately, the dinosaur comes in at the beginning of this three-hour production, and the play struggles in the wake of its long tail.
2022 | Broadway |
Lincoln Center Broadway Revival Production Broadway |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2022 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Puppet Design | James Ortiz |
2022 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Awards | Gabby Beans |
2022 | Drama League Awards | Founders Award for Excellence in Directing | Lileana Blain-Cruz |
2022 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Play | The Skin Of Our Teeth |
2022 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Scenic Design (Play or Musical) | Adam Rigg |
2022 | Tony Awards | Best Costume Design of a Play | Montana Levi Blanco |
2022 | Tony Awards | Best Direction of a Play | Lileana Blain-Cruz |
2022 | Tony Awards | Best Lighting Design of a Play | Yi Zhao |
2022 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play | Gabby Beans |
2022 | Tony Awards | Best Scenic Design of a Play | Adam Rigg |
2022 | Tony Awards | Best Sound Design of a Play | Palmer Hefferan |
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