'Little Bear Ridge Road' Broadway review — Laurie Metcalf shines in a family drama that touches the stars

Read our review of Little Bear Ridge Road on Broadway, the newest drama by The Whale playwright Samuel D. Hunter, starring Laurie Metcalf and Micah Stock.

Summary

• Samuel D. Hunter's Little Bear Ridge Road follows an aunt and nephew struggling to reconnect after a family death
• The show features moving writing and superb performances by Laurie Metcalf; Micah Stock; and John Drea
• Audiences have praised the performances and the minimalist yet moving nature of the show
• The play is recommended for fans of Hunter; Metcalf; astronomy; and family dramas

It's not insignificant that Sarah and Ethan, the estranged aunt and nephew at the center of Little Bear Ridge Road, bond over a TV show about aliens. Throughout the show, the pair orbit a cream-colored couch on a carpeted platform, backed by a dark wooden wall that seems to stretch up endlessly like a forest in the night. The combined effect — of the set by Scott Pask, of the aliens, of separate talk about rural Idaho's unpolluted night sky — is that the insular world of Samuel D. Hunter's play, directed by Joe Mantello, feels like it's floating freely in the vastness of space. Via ordinary conversations in bare-bones rooms, Sarah (Laurie Metcalf) and Ethan (Micah Stock) are similarly untethered, grasping at their places in a society that can feel unfathomable. Overwhelming. Alien.

That theme is, notably, Hunter's M.O. as a playwright at large. Little Bear Ridge Road marks his Broadway debut, and it continues his lineage of quietly affecting plays from off Broadway — like The Whale, Grangeville, and A Case for the Existence of God — that tackle big topics via small people in his home state of Idaho. Hunter, refreshingly, establishes within the first 10 minutes that Ethan's gayness will not be the thorny issue here: "That’s the most interesting thing about you!" Sarah declares. Cue laughter. End of subject.

No, there are much less simple reasons why Sarah and Ethan haven't connected for decades, and why they almost seem intent on staying that way even as the death of Ethan's father — Sarah's brother — prompts their reunion during the peak lockdown era of 2020. Covid's not the reason they're keeping their distance, either, though Ethan wears a mask at the play's start. Both have been hurt, including by each other. Sarah nonetheless wants to welcome Ethan, perhaps as a second chance, while Ethan wants to look after the secretly ailing Sarah, a mission that doubles as an excuse not to face his own uncertain future. Neither one makes it easy.

Metcalf, who excels at mining delicate nuances from "not emotionally forthcoming" (Sarah's own admission) characters, is expectedly fantastic opposite Stock, the pair like magnetic poles that repel for being too alike. John Drea, as Micah's endearing boyfriend James, brings a welcome dose of sweetness to offset the others' stubborn gruffness. All benefit from Hunter's keen ear for dialogue: Both the weighty and humorous one-liners (of which there are more than you'd expect in this rather bleak play) arise naturally and without fanfare, peppered in where you least expect them.

Only the ambiguous ending falters slightly, leaving Little Bear Ridge Road on a note that's more head-scratching than thought-provoking. But it doesn't take away from the fact that Little Bear Ridge Road is a superbly acted and achingly poignant 90 minutes of theatre. The characters may feel alien to each other and even themselves, but they're messily, sometimes infuriatingly, and altogether relatably human.

Little Bear Ridge Road summary

After the death of his drug-addicted father, 30something Ethan and his estranged aunt Sarah are the only remaining members of the Fernsby family. Ethan lives with Sarah when he returns to his Idaho hometown to sell his dad's house, and what begins as a few weeks' stay eventually stretches into a long-term arrangement. The two aimless relatives struggle with their instincts to simultaneously reach out for each other and push each other away, both in the present and decades earlier.

What to expect at Little Bear Ridge Road

Longtime fans of Samuel D. Hunter's work know its hallmarks: an Idaho setting, an ordinary situation, troubled characters struggling to connect as they work through that situation. Themes of addiction and queerness often surface, too. All this is true of Little Bear Ridge Road, but that's not to say the play feels derivative.

What makes Hunter a standout playwright is that he can make even the slightest shift of circumstance feel seismic, showing the rich variations in the human experience among people — say, rural Idahoans — we might otherwise imagine as a monolith. Like Micah in the play, Hunter writes autofiction: made-up stories inspired by very real experience, and you can feel the compassion and truth in Hunter's writing. Indeed, Little Bear Ridge Road is named for the street where his own father lives.

What audiences are saying about Little Bear Ridge Road

As of publication, Little Bear Ridge Road has an 84% audience approval rating on Show-Score, combined from over 100 reviews from theatregoers. Audiences have praised the performances of the cast and the ability of the minimalist staging to conjure deep emotion.

• "Hunter is a great writer who digs deep into his characters and brings out their best and worst traits. Great actors like Metcalf and Stock expertly bring this play much life on a stark and almost bare stage. I found it to be sad more than funny and left the theater moved." - Show-Score user Kim G City
• "Great acting, but this little play with a couch is being swallowed whole at the Booth Theatre. Seeing it from the mezzanine takes away a lot from the experience — I would have loved to see it in a 299-seat venue." - Show-Score user Dan 4013
• "Aside from references to the Covid pandemic, the show has a very dated feel. It shows no deeper understanding or dares say more about gay life, family dynamics or the impact of illness than plays from 40 years ago. Some might say that makes it timeless, but I'd say instead that I've seen it all before." - Show-Score user Kenneth T
• "For everyone who craves an ORIGINAL play and story, this one is it. It's a dark dramedy about two family members who have spent a majority of their lives feeling like they have to fend for themselves and so reject the potential notion of others caring about them and breaking down the walls they have built to protect themselves. Metcalf and Stock are doing great work and John Drea is a great addition to the cast as Stock's long suffering lover. You won't get a more original and human play this year." - Show-Score Jay E

Read more audience reviews of Little Bear Ridge Road on Show-Score.

Who should see Little Bear Ridge Road

• Fans of Samuel D. Hunter's work — including his stage shows and Darren Aronofsky's film adaptation of his play The Whale — will get exactly what they expect from him here: a deeply moving story in a subtle, simple setting.
• Ditto for fans of Metcalf's extensive stage and screen career; she is excellent and dryly funny here as a straight-shooting, fiercely independent woman who struggles with vulnerability.
• Those who have dealt with the aftermath of death may appreciate the unsentimental way Hunter writes about the subject and the complicated emotions surrounding the death of a troubled relative — not to mention the logistical frustrations.
• If you're into astronomy, you'll appreciate the character of James, particularly the scene in which he gets to nerd out over the stars and constellations visible from the title street.

Learn more about Little Bear Ridge Road on Broadway

Excellent performances and simple yet moving writing make Little Bear Ridge Road an all-around solid family drama.

Learn more and get Little Bear Ridge Road tickets on New York Theatre Guide. Little Bear Ridge Road is at the Booth Theatre through February 15.

Photo credit: Little Bear Ridge Road on Broadway. (Photos by Julieta Cervantes)