Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – David Lindsay-Abaire’s THE BALUSTERS is as illuminating in its truth-saying as it is hilarious in its shade-throwing

• By drediman
• April 30, 2026
• No Comments

Earlier this week, I had the great opportunity to catch up with David Lindsay-Abaire’s The Balusters, the final new play to open during the 2025-2026 season. Essentially, Lindsay-Abaire’s latest is a comedy of manners about the inner political workings of a neighborhood association of a charming suburban community, which implodes when a proactive newcomer joins the board. Taking place over the course of a series of board meetings — and a number of side interactions in between them — the piece centers on the controversial proposal to erect stop signs on an accident-prone intersection located on one of the town’s most picturesque boulevards. As illuminating in its truth-saying as it is hilarious in its shade-throwing, I’m happy to report that the timely and brilliantly-acted MTC production is one of the finest new plays to emerge this Broadway season.

In terms of character dynamics, The Balusters calls to mind another play that MTC recently brought to the Main Stem — last season’s Eureka Day, a play by Jonathan Spector that depicts the escalating conflicts of an elementary school board over the requirement to have its students be vaccinated. Taking their cue from Molière, both feature incisive dialogue that methodically expose the hypocrisy of those running the show, in the process exploring — often ruthlessly — notions of privilege (from multiple angles), prejudice (racial, socio-economic), and activism (performative vs. actual). Suffice to say, what starts off as pleasant encounters between seemingly “decent” people, eventually escalates into full-on chaos and ultimately a memorable battle royale between the play’s two most diametrically opposed characters (more specifically, the aforementioned newcomer and the long-established board chair). With astute quips at every turn — some more overtly lashing than others — Lindsay-Abaire’s writing is on point throughout, which more than makes up for the play’s slightly schematic setup, and making the nearly two-hour runtime of the intermission-less play fly by.

Overall, Kenny Leon’s handsome, perfectly-paced staging is excellent (a special mention goes to Derek McLane’s beautifully-appointed living room set). From the get-go, the veteran director imbues the proceedings with an off-kilter energy that’s at once inviting and subtly caustic, even menacing at times. This nuanced vibe translates to the performances of the accomplished 10-person cast, led by Anika Noni Rose and Richard Thomas as Kyra (the newcomer) and Elliot (the entrenched board chair), respectively. Given that both are inherently hugely likable actors, it was delicious seeing them go for the jugular. In fact, everyone in the cast is fantastic, riotously straddling caricature and painfully real portrayals. Collectively, they exhibit expert ensemble work as the well-intentioned characters dysfunctionally navigate the power dynamics amongst themselves. Particularly unsettling is Maria-Christina Oliveras’s quietly exasperated performance as Kyra’s maid Luz, whose backstory — no spoilers here! — grounds the hilarity with aching humanity.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

THE BALUSTERS
Broadway, Play
Manhattan Theatre Club at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre
1 hour, 50 minutes (without an intermission)
Through June 7