In Simon Stephens’ stunning play, something is about to happen that will change one family forever. Set over the course of nine months, On the Shore of the Wide World is about love, family, Roy Keane and the size of the galaxy.

Atlantic is thrilled to welcome back Simon Stephens (Atlantic’s Harper Regan, Bluebird, Broadway’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time) with the New York debut of his Olivier Award-winning play.

As family dramas go, On the Shore of the Wide World, now playing at the Atlantic Theater Company, tends to steer clear of the high intensity that is typical of its genre, instead opting for subtle and intricately crafted moments, delivered by a stellar team of actors and directed with delicacy and nuance by Artistic Director Neil Pepe. The play, written by Simon Stephens, who is best known for his Tony-winning adaptation of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, delves into the lives of three generations of a working class British family, and follows them through the course of a year, as they encounter issues both typical and more drastic: drinking problems, cancer diagnoses, adultery, young love, the death of a child, all intertwined in a surprisingly subdued way. The set, designed by Scott Pask, effectively provides  insight into the mundanity of the world; despite its various levels, most characters remain in one quadrant for most, if not all, of the piece, giving the sense that they are all trapped within their own universes. Performances in On the Shore of the Wide World are uniformly excellent. Of particular note is C.J. Wilson, whose portrayal of Peter, a house re …Read more