Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Gutsy acting more than buoys SAFE HOUSE, L.B. Browne’s contemporary riff on “Death of a Salesman”

• By drediman
• September 10, 2026
• No Comments

Also during these waning days of summer, theatergoers have been privy to another grim, claustrophobic drama exploring notions of family and home. The piece in question is Safe House, L.B. Browne’s new play currently running Off-Broadway at Theatre Row (the limited two-week run is set to conclude on this weekend on September 13th). Set in suburban Pennsylvania on the eve of a fictitious but convincingly relevant presidential election, the work in essence tells the story of a family torn apart by toxic masculinity, political extremism. and mental illness.

Interestingly, for all its talk about politics, Safe House is not a piece of political theater. At its core, the work is rooted in good old family drama. In fact, Browne’s thematically busy play is in a number of key ways a contemporary riff on Arthur Miller’s seminal play Death of a Salesman, which was superbly revived on Broadway last season. Both feature flawed, entitled patriarchs in mental decline. Diagnosed with Huntington’s disease, Rock is an army veteran whose delusional bouts, paranoia, and unreliable wits lead him into tense confrontations with his faithful wife and increasingly exasperated daughters (sound familiar?). With such strong parallels between the two plays, it’s hard not to draw comparisons to Joe Mantello’s powerful production of the Miller classic. Indeed, despite some gripping, high stakes scenes of undeniable intensity — Safe House is also very much influenced by the psychological thriller genre — it’s ultimately hard to empathize with Rock, a man with such little redeeming qualities. As such, it’s hard to fathom his immediate family having put up with his horrid behavior and fed into his unmitigated ego for as long as they have.

Thanks to Benjamin Viertel’s beautifully considered production, Safe House comes to theatrical life with detail and momentum (the bunker/basement set is by Forest Entsminger). In the central role of Rock, stage veteran Marc Kudisch — whom we have typically seen in musicals — delivers a showy and explosive performance that seethes with volatility and flailing vulnerability. Kudisch aside, however, the production boasts grounded, balanced performances from Karen Ziemba (another stalwart with a notable background in musical theater) as the long suffering wife, as well as Anna Roman and Grace Church as the two daughters. Their gutsy performances more than buoy a worthwhile new play that’s both powerful yet currently still somewhat muddled.

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SAFE HOUSE
Off-Broadway, Play
split/decision at Theatre Row
1 hour, 40 minutes (without an intermission)
Through September 13