Set in a small map store on the oldest street in an American city, LONELY PLANET is an intimate portrait of two friends at the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Shop owner Jody becomes increasingly fearful of the world outside and the dangers it poses, refusing to leave his shop. While Carl, his spirited friend, begins filling the store with a variety of mysterious chairs. Funny, moving, and deeply human, Steven Dietz’s landmark play examines how we all navigate troubled times.

Lonely Planet runs approximately 1 hr and 40 mins, including a 10 min intermission.

Presented by the Keen Company and set in a small map store on the oldest street in an American city, Steven Dietz’s Lonely Planet is an intimate portrait of two friends at the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. In this play directed by Jonathan Silverstein, shop owner Jody becomes increasingly fearful of the world outside and the dangers it poses, refusing to leave his shop, while Carl, his spirited friend, begins filling the store with a variety of mysterious chairs. Anshuman Bhatia does an exquisite job of making the set feel like home. On stage, there are maps on the walls and globes littering the shelves; a landline coil-wired phone and a typewriter help place us in time. The lights come up on a single chair onstage, and the quiet, reserved Jody appears. Played by Arnie Burton, Jody has heart in his kind expression, and he is instantly likable. The chair itself is a mystery: Jody mentions the its existence but never quite explains the reason behind it. And yet, within moments it becomes the center, both literally and figuratively, of the play. From the moment he bursts onto the stage, the character of Carl, played by Matt McGrath, captures hearts. He’s loud, energetic, flamboyant …Read more