Balusters are the tiny pillars that support handrails on a deck or staircase. Not just an architectural flourish, these critical structures provide safety and support. In David Lindsay-Abaire’s The Balusters, they are among the items under review by the Neighborhood Association of the landmarked Vernon Point. They are also a metaphor for the shifting dynamics of the organization’s volunteer participants. But fear not. Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winner Lindsay-Abaire is not taking us down another tragic Rabbit Hole (sublime as that experience was.) While this new work probes issues including racism, classism, and homophobia, its primary concern is giving the audience a rollicking good time.
We are initially confronted with an array of stock characters, but with novel “accessories.” This enables the playwright to communicate a familiar starting point for each one and then take him/her/them in a revealing — sometimes startling — direction. Director Kenny Leon and casting director Kelly Gillespie have composed a circle of actors with advanced degrees in timing and subtext. Even the expected becomes memorable and sweetly comical.
The battle for control at the plot’s center is between meeting chair Elliot Emerson (Richard Thomas) and new arrival Kyra Marshall (Anika Noni Rose). While Elliot leverages his long history with the community, Kyra’s fresh viewpoint appeals to some who recognize that not everything is rosy. The clash is set in motion by a proposal to install a stop sign. This seemingly sensible set-up expands so that each of the ten members of the talented cast is given time in the spotlight, delighting their distinct devotees in the audience. Duly awarded for “Sustained Excellence, ” Marylouise Burke lends her distinctive voice and just the right amount of eccentricity to HOA secretary Penny Buell. Ricardo Chavira’s Isaac Rosario and Margaret Colins’s Ruth Ackerman are given some of the best “burns.” Even housekeeper Luz Baccay, portrayed with grace by Maria-Christina Oliveras, has the opportunity to contribute more than freshly baked appetizers.
At its core, this is a drawing room comedy, and scenic designer Derek McLane has created a welcoming one with elegant pillars and elaborate throw pillow. There are views into a formal dining room and foyer with stairs leading to the unseen second floor. His artful variety of chairs plays a role in establishing personality traits. With transitions that resemble a night at a club (lighting by Allen Lee Hughes and original music and sound design by Dan Moses Schreier) , the characters often make wardrobe changes on the fly with separates by costume designer Emilio Sosa.
With both heart and brain, The Balusters is a welcome arrival. As proudly touted in the run-up to opening night, this Manhattan Theatre Club commission is the only original American play opening on Broadway this season, which says something about the well placed trust they had in playwright Lindsay-Abaire. Running time is a smooth and economical 100 minutes without intermission. Part of MTC’s spring season, performances are held at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, 261 West 47th Street. Tickets are currently available through June 7. Naturally, all of this talent doesn’t come cheaply. Orchestra seats on the official website run by the Telecharge top out at $347. The Mezzanine — which overhangs the orchestra mid-house — is less expensive and provides a great vantage point. Visit https://www.manhattantheatreclub.com/shows/2025-26-season/the-balusters/ for information and purchasing options.
The Unforgettable Line 
The Lifespan of a Fact
In this age of high anxiety and bitter divide, it didn’t seem possible that anyone could write a play that was both timely and hilarious. Amazingly The Lifespan of a Fact — based on true events surrounding the development of an article about a Las Vegas teen’s suicide — achieves this blissful combination. Written in vivid detail by nonconformist writer John D’Agata, the original 2005 article was assigned for fact-checking to an ambitious magazine intern, Jim Fingal. D’Agata and Fingal’s conflict over the nature and role of facts spanned seven years and resulted in an essay and a book which in turn inspired Lifespan’s script by Jeremy Kareken & David Murrell and Gordon Farrell. With so many fingers on keyboards, this production could have been a cacophonous mess, but the logic and story are sound. Fingal’s on stage persona makes a strong case for journalistic integrity and thorough research. Equally persuasive is D’Agata’s viewpoint that the right words, however poetic, are needed to attract and hold readers’ attention. Perhaps most importantly for Lifespan’s audience, their 90 minute argument elicits many cathartic chuckles.
The well crafted material hits the intended target in large part because of the wise direction of Leigh Silverman. She has a keen instinct for when to punch up the humor without going too broad. Rather, she peels back the layers of each of the three characters in slowly building rhythm. She has the great advantage of being blessed with a magnificent cast, each of whom has an incredible sense of pace and timing. Charmingly obsessive in his role of fact checker Jim Fingal, Daniel Radcliffe is physically taut and verbally cranked to 11. He prepared for the role by actually working as a fact checker for New Yorker magazine, which clearly gave him a strong foundation on which to draw character details. His opponent in the battle of wits, writer John D’Agata, is bought to irritated life by a blustery and brilliant Bobby Cannavale. That the two actors are nearly a foot apart in height adds a shiny layer of physical humor on top of their perfectly orchestrated banter. Standing between them with a commanding hand and a touch of grace is the charismatic Cherry Jones as the magazine’s editor, Emily.
Many hands add their own magical touch to bringing out the best in the piece. Mimi Lien’s scenic design includes some smile-inducing details. Linda Cho’s costumes give good visual cues. The playwrights have raised the stakes by putting their characters on a four day deadline. Projections by Lucy Mackinnon and music and sound by Palmer Hefferan keep us on edge as the clock ticks stressfully onwards towards publication day.
Suitable for teens and up, The Lifespan of a Fact brings much needed smart laughter to Broadway’s fall season. Though the ending may be unsatisfying to some, the overall experience is everything you want from an afternoon or evening at the theater. It is playing at Studio 54, which has particularly good sight lines. Tickets for performances through January 13, 2019 are for sale at https://www.lifespanofafact.com and on most entertainment apps. A limited number of affordable $40 seats are available for purchase in-person at the Studio 54 box office for same-day sale.