Michael Cera, Chris Evans, Brian Tyree Henry and Bel Powley star in Kenneth Lonergan’s Lobby Hero.

What happens when emotions come in conflict with principles, and how do choices under pressure define who we really are? The lobby of a Manhattan apartment building is much more than a waiting area for four New Yorkers involved in a murder investigation. It’s a testing ground for what happens when personal and professional personas find themselves at odds. A young security guard with big ambitions clashes with his stern boss, an intense rookie cop and her unpredictable partner in a play from the 2017 Oscar-winning writer of Manchester by the Sea.

Jeff is a “f-ck up.”  Kicked out of the Navy and in debt, he’s living in one room that he rents from his brother.  For the last nine months, he’s been working the graveyard shift as a security guard (not a doorman, which he takes pains to explain). Funny and garrulous — his boss, William (Brian Tyree Henry of TV’s Atlanta), calls him a “joker” — Jeff is also somewhat lonely, and when anyone else shows up, he talks almost nonstop. The central character in Kenneth Lonergan’s Lobby Hero, now playing at The Hayes Theater, Jeff, anxious to make connections, insinuates himself into other people’s lives. Among them is William, who has an ethical dilemma: Should he provide the alibi for his brother who may have committed a horrific crime?  Jeff lends a willing ear as William confides in him about his quandary. Later, whether it’s to impress the young female probationary cop or to ease his own conscience, Jeff reveals some of what’s been shared with him in confidence.  He also lets the cop, Dawn, know that her partner Bill has been upstairs in the building spending time with a prostitute. Trip Cullman deftly directs the revival of this prize-winning play. Lonergan’s work is skillfully wri …Read more