The Inheritance: The Musical – Part 1
The Inheritance: The Musical – Part 2
Anyone who has ever felt alone and needed a community to call home will find a lot to love about The Inheritance playing now at Ethel Barrymore Theatre. This Broadway production, tells an emotionally gripping tale of three generations of gay men who must deal with the past, their present, and find their future. It dares to ask how much today’s generation owes to its forebears and whether or not our ancestors have truly set their descendants on the path of success. If you have ever been frustrated with inheriting a world that someone else left behind, then you will sympathize with one of the production’s essential themes. If you have felt bitter about the ingratitude that the young have shown for your efforts, then you will find common ground with one of this production’s message. The Evening Standard said that “(The Inheritance) is the play of this year and last year and quite possibly next year as well” and that isn’t by accident. The timelessness of this Broadway production promises that it will inspire, enlighten, and entertain anyone who can come see it live.
So if you are searching for an important Broadway production to see this year, then make sure that you come to see The Inheritance at Ethel Barrymore Theatre. The story is moving and captivating and asks a lot of questions that many are afraid to ponder. It will leave you at the edge of your seats and will offer a message that you are sure to think about long after the curtains close. So don’t let yourself miss this opportunity. Order your tickets to see The Inheritance.
Why an American Play Has Become one of London’s Most Important Exports
The Inheritance is based on E.M. Forster’s turn of the century novel, Howard’s End. The original novel tells the story of couples from three different social classes who come together and share their stories. It brought about the struggles of social and economic class differences and is still read and enjoyed to this day, with many adaptations being made for television, radio, and opera. So already The Inheritance had a pedigree to look up to by being based on this famous book. So when the play was commissioned by Hartford Stage in Hartford, Connecticut, it needed the right team for the job.
The play was produced in London at the Young Vic Theatre with Stephen Deldry as a director in March 2018. The play was a longer production, staged in two parts over three hours each, offering audience members a complete story if viewed sequentially. The story focuses on the love between gay men in modern-day New York only one generation after the AIDS epidemic that began in 1980s America. One of the major themes of the play was to ask what the current generation owes its forebears. and whether or not today’s generation can judge their forebears. The play’s frank discussion and captivating premise moved audiences across London, earning the award of Best Play at the London Evening Standard Theatre Awards in 2018 as well as Best New Play and Best Director as well as Best Actor at the 2019 Critics’ Circle Awards and the 2019 Laurence Olivier Awards.
With all the buzz and hype surrounding the play, especially given its message and setting, making it an easy decision to bring the play to the United States. So an American play, that premiered in London, has been exported back to America’s own Ethen Barrymore Theatre. The Broadway production was previewed on September 27, 2019, and will have its official opening on November 17. The production features some of the original actors reprising their roles as well as a few replacements that will surely bring this emotionally gripping story back to New York City.
What reviews are saying about The Inheritance
Ever since its original run, The Inheritance has earned the cast, directors, and staff several awards including Best New Play, Best Director, and Best Actor. But what do reviewers say about this important play?
The Telegraph writes that The Inheritance should be considered “perhaps the most important American play of this century.” A lot of this feedback is explained in a quote by The Variety that calls it “…vast, imperfect and unwieldy masterpiece that unpicks queer politics and neoliberal economics anew. In addressing the debt gay men owe to their forebears, it dares to ask whether the past hasn’t also sold the present up short.”. Finally, The Guardian writes that “Lopez’s play…teems with life and incident…Lopez is also unafraid to periodically stop the plot and clear the stage for an impassioned debate.”
These reviews may focus on different responses and aspects to the play, but they combine to tell us that audiences should think of what it means to be gay in today’s world. It talks about the struggles of gay men in the past, especially in the wake of the AIDS epidemic of the 80s and 90s. The play in two parts offers a debate on whether gay culture, which is only recently overcoming the worst elements of oppression, has to fear being co-opted. Nearly every review talks about how the play opens up an explicit discussion with audiences about how much the modern owes to the past and whether the past is at fault for the problems present today.
But such a discussion wouldn’t work if the actors and direction weren’t on point, which is a concern that Variety addresses when it writes, “it’s beautifully acted throughout.” Noting how Eric moves beyond his nondescript exterior to become a relatable man who is as brittle as glass and how Burnap shines as a self-made man who loathes himself because he is very aware of his lies. The play has many standout performances that you can experience when you order your ticket to see The Inheritance.
What to expect at Ethel Barrymore Theatre
The Ethel Barrymore Theatre is the last surviving theatre of the many houses built for performers affiliated with Lee and J.J. Shubert. This theatre was designed as part of the Barrymore acting dynasty and was popular in both the US and England to the point of becoming a household name. Ethel Barrymore was known for her on-stage talent and stardom and her greatness beneath the management of producer Charles Frohman from the turn of the century. Ethel Barrymore Theatre was offered by the Shuberts as the place to premiere and perform a play that would be commissioned for her and has since carried her namesake. The exterior was modeled on the design of Rome’s public baths. It offered gorgeous architecture including two-story terra-cotta grillwork screens and interior decor that combined Elizabethan, Mediterranean, and Adamsesque styles. The box seats are arguably the most elaborate element featuring a sunburst pattern over the columned portico.
The theatre offers 1058 seats, with 582 spaces in the Orchestra, 196 in the Front Mezzanine, 256 in the Rear Mezzanine, and an exclusive 24 seats in the famous boxes. Of these seats, there are 5 wheelchair seats available, 33 in the orchestra pit, and 11 aisle transfer arms. So if you want the best seats in the house or need to book wheelchair seating, make sure you order your tickets early.