Play Esq. said: "Saw this yesterday. I consider it my favorite of all Wilson’s plays and saw the Sher production at least 5 times.
It's my favorite play of his as well. What makes it so powerful is that the characters are carrying deep pain, displacement, and uncertainty, yet the boarding house becomes a place of survival, community, and restoration. Even when the characters are hard on one another, it comes across as a kind of protective “tough love” rooted in shared struggle rather than cruelty. The humor is also part of what makes the play feel so human to me. Debbie Allens' direction and the performances of Joshua Boone, Taraji Henson and Ruben Santiago-Hudson are particularly brilliant here.
Wilson doesn’t present the struggle in a one-dimensional way; he allows laughter, teasing, storytelling, music, and everyday interactions to coexist with grief and longing. It’s heartwarming because beneath all the hardship, the play insists on dignity, connection, and hope. I'm so glad the buzz is so positive, and the show is so successful. I was not surprised at the lack of nominations given how voters rejected Hollywood this year, but this is still a fantastic production worth seeing.
