On learning of his mother’s death, country music icon Strings McCrane (Adam Driver) finds himself in an existential tailspin. The only way out, he decides, is to abandon superstardom in favor of the simple life, so he moves back to his hometown in Tennessee. The simple life turns out to be anything but simple in this brilliantly observed tragicomedy, as the consequences of Strings’s success and mind-bending effects of his fame prove all but impossible to outrun.
“Hold on to Me Darling” was the best new play of 2016 when it opened at the Atlantic Theater. Eight years later, Kenneth Lonergan’s comedy about a country singer is the best contemporary play now on the boards in New York City. A most entertaining revival opened Wednesday at the Lucille Lortel Theatre.
Not to mention that Strings, as Duke wisely points out, is "reorderin' [his] life to suit [his mother] now she's gone." It quickly becomes clear that he doesn't truly know what he wants for himself. The grass isn't greener on any side, for anyone. The ending, in which Strings reunites with his remaining parent (Frank Wood, always reliable), is supposedly meant to finally ground him a bit. Pepe's production doesn't quite stick the landing, but it's a testament to Driver's performance, and that of the entire ace cast, that I was left wanting to keep going on Strings's journey, to know where he lands.
2016 | Off-Broadway |
World Premiere Off-Broadway Production Off-Broadway |
2024 | Off-Broadway |
Off-Broadway Revival Off-Broadway |
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