Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – John Krasinski slyly plays the victim in ANGRY ALAN, Penelope Skinner’s observant new play about masculinity

• By drediman
• June 12, 2025
• No Comments

Last night, Penelope Skinner’s highly anticipated play Angry Alan starring film star John Krasinski opened at Studio Seaview’s brand new theater in Midtown Manhattan (in what was the Tony Kiser Theater, Second Stage Theater’s former Off-Broadway home). Stylishly re-appointed and re-branded, the former bank building turned theater enters an exciting new chapter in its story as a home for Studio Seaview’s commercial Off-Broadway productions, which have proven to be big hits at the company’s previous home at the Lucille Lortel Theatre in Greenwich Village (e.g., the revivals of Hold on to Me Darling and Danny and the Deep Blue Sea). In short, Angry Alan tells the story of Roger, an “average Joe” who finds himself increasingly drawn to re-establishing men’s rights via an online rabbit hole.

Both the Skinner and Krasinski pull a sly trick in the pointed 90-minute play as it walks the fine line between parody and naturalism, much like the British playwright did in her absolutely memorable 2011 play The Village Bike. Krasinski’s Roger starts off as approachable and mostly likable, much like many of the characters in the actor’s screen work (you’ll likely recognize Krasinski as Jim Halpert, the boy-next-door in the hit sitcom series The Office) — a largely inoffensive everyman with mostly good intentions. Told strictly from Roger’s perspective, Angry Alan begins innocuously enough, but it gradually drops little hints here and there regarding the toxicity of the character’s pursuit and his underlying world view. This accumulation is gradual but sustained, culminating in a terrifying coup of a scene late in the play (no spoilers here!). Ultimately, the play is a scathing, keenly observant study on masculinity vis-à-vis victimhood.

Krasinski is exceptional, effortlessly holding court in what is essentially a one man show. He’s a natural onstage, and he bravely takes on Roger’s downward spiral of a journey with confidence. He also has a fantastic sense of how to shape the Skinner’s text into a compelling and satisfying theatrical and dramatic experience, which he largely accomplishes by stealthily slipping into and out of a number of characters — often times amusingly — all the while maintaining Roger’s persona (the effect is as if Roger himself is doing the impersonating). As one of our smartest and most sensitive directors, Sam Gold seems to be the perfect choice to helm the production, and his deceptively unassuming staging is completely in line with what the play sets out to do. Indeed, both the play and the production sneak up on you.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

ANGRY ALAN
Off-Broadway, Play
Studio Seaview
1 hour, 25 minutes (without an intermission)
Through August 3