Thursday, Dec. 18, 2003

The Man From Nebraska

Tracy Letts' play, being given its world premiere at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theater, starts in near silence: a man and his wife driving, going to church, stopping for a bite at the local cafeteria. This placid life is shattered by the man's crisis of faith, and his subsequent journey of discovery. He doesn't discover much, to tell the truth, but the play, beautifully directed by Anna B. Shapiro, is an austere and moving portrait.