Lobby Hero
is a play by Kenneth Lonergan. It premiered Off-Broadway in 2001.
Production History
Lobby Hero premiered Off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons, on March 13, 2001 and closed on April 15, 2001,[1] reopening at the John Houseman Theare on May 8, 2001 and closing on September 2, 2001.[2][3] The cast featured Glenn Fitzgerald as Jeff, Dion Graham as William, Heather Burns as Dawn, and Tate Donovan as Bill, and was directed by Mark Brokaw.[4][5]
The UK première was staged at the Donmar Warehouse, in previews on April 4, opening April 10 and closing on May 4, 2002. The cast included Gary McDonald (William), Charlotte Randle (Dawn), Dominic Rowan (Bill), and David Tennant (Jeff), and was again directed by Mark Brokaw.[6] This production transferred to the New Ambassadors Theatre from June 26 (opening July 1) to August 10, 2002.[7]
It was announced in April 2017 that a revival was commissioned to open in March 2018 at the Helen Hayes Theatre, with Chris Evans, Michael Cera, Brian Tyree Henry and Bel Powley starring.[8][9][10]
Plot Summary
The show follows a security guard in his late twenties, his strict supervisor, and an overbearing cop and his rookie female partner. The show is set in a foyer of a middle-income Manhattan apartment building in the middle of the night.[11]
Character Summaries
- Jeff – 27-year-old security guard, unsuccessful with women;
- William – Jeff’s boss
- Dawn – a female police officer in her 20s.
- Bill – Dawn’s senior partner, who shows a romantic interest in her
Reviews
Toby Young said in a review in The Spectator, “Lobby Hero is a fantastic play but I’d be hard pushed to say why. You can tell it’s good because, within about five minutes, any sense you have of being a member of the audience, sitting down and watching a group of actors perform on stage, has vanished…. In what amounts to an out-of-body experience, you’re totally absorbed in what’s going on…Lonergan is particularly good, both here and in This Is Our Youth, at showing how good intentions can be undermined by unconscious desires. Few of his characters are capable of resisting their own malignant impulses.”[12]
References
- Jones, Kenneth. ” ‘Lobby Hero’ Extends to April 15 at Playwrights Horizons” Archived 2014-09-13 at the Wayback Machine. playbill.com, March 23, 2001
- Lobby Hero Internet Off-Broadway Database, accessed September 13, 2014
- Lobby Hero Internet Off-Broadway Database, accessed September 13, 2014
- Jones, Kenneth. “Laurels and Morals: Kenneth Lonergan’s Lobby Hero Opens March 13 in NYC” Archived 2014-09-13 at the Wayback Machine. playbill.com, March 13, 2001
- Sommer, Elyse.”A CurtainUp Review” curtainup.com, accessed September 13, 2014
- Billington, Michael. “Review” The Guardian, 10 April 2002
- Hodges, Amanda.”Review Lobby Hero, New Ambassadors Theatre” londontheatrearchive.co.uk, 2nd July 02
- Chris Evans to Make Broadway Debut in Kenneth Lonergan’s ‘Lobby Hero’
- Brian Tyree Henry Joins Chris Evans in Broadway Play ‘Lobby Hero’
- Bel Powley Joins Kenneth Lonergan’s ‘Lobby Hero’ Broadway Revival
- Contemporary Authors Online. Detroit, Michigan: Gale. 2005. ISBN 978-0-7876-3995-2.
- Contemporary Authors Online. Detroit, Michigan: Gale. 2005. ISBN 978-0-7876-3995-2
- All references at Wiki
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