You Got Older at Cherry Lane Theatre NYC Review
Written by Eloise for Theatre and Tonic
Content warnings: strong language, discussion of sexual assault, sexual content, blackouts, loud music.
Almost a masterclass in the mundane, analysing the reality of family dynamics under stressful circumstances. You Got Older plays with form, structure and character - successfully achieving Clare Barron’s aim to produce an “unresolved” play. However, this doesn’t completely land in front of an audience paying between $80-250 at A24’s newly acquired theatre, Cherry Lane in NYC.
The play follows Mae, a newly single and newly jobless lawyer who has come home to her widowed father to help him go through surgery for his throat cancer. Things aren’t the most straightforward for Mae (Alia Shawkat) as she grabbles with her desire to be in fantasy whilst being clawed back to her very usual reality - one which is faced by almost all families.
The play flicks between scenes of hyper reality between Mae and her father, wider family, new romantic interest, Mac, and abstract dream fantasy scapes with a Southern cowboy. These sexual fantasies come out of the blue and are almost always interrupted by the stark reality of living back with her father. A Freudian lens perhaps could be applied… but the play struggles to find a solid identity through the switching - the fantasy moments perhaps not as fully committed to by the production to gain the intended importance from.
Nonetheless, the scenes are wonderful as stand-alone scenes. The scene with Mae and Mac in the bar is delightful. Caleb Joshua Eberhardt is standing out, bouncing with awkward, relatable and charming energy. The grotesque nature of love and sex is explored here, grounding the play with the ever-present sexual escapism in Mae. However, the scenes when tied together felt disharmonious. Especially the end few scenes, where suddenly Mae is in a new location, delivering a monologue to the audience - breaking the fourth wall for the first time in an hour and a half. The final scene, underscored by Timber by Pitball, felt contrapuntal and cathartic, but overall - obvious.
The set and scenic design by Arnulfo Maldonado was extremely successful. The play takes place in a variation of locations, though the set morphs around Mae’s, sisters’ childhood bedroom - every road leading her back to the bedroom in her mind. These are clever choices which tie nicely to the direction by Anne Kauffman which was thoughtful and intelligent. You Got Older is a perfect example of seeing clever choices on stage - a great example being when Mae delivers a scene upside down hanging off of her bed from awkwardness. Every moment of shape and design has been considered by the crew here which makes for a visualising striking play.
Clare Barron writes in the programme that she wrote the play in the midst of a personal situation which wasn’t resolved at the time of writing. The play resembles this unresolved style purposefully and “without perspective”. The idea being that it is terrifying being intimate with our families, and we are always hiding darker thoughts from them whilst attempting at connection. Though purposeful, perhaps Cherry Lane Theatre wasn’t the correct place to take a play which is inherently more experimental and feels wandering in style. You Got Older has some really interesting moments and scenes which could have been committed to more fully to greater impact the audience – the venue feeling wrong for this sort of work. Cherry Lane was recently acquired by film studio A24 – and if you’re familiar with their work then a particular polished psychological style is expected. The theatre is certainly pulling in audience with this Hollywood label, but it needs to deliver a consistent message, such as with the films produced, if using the A24 name.
This production was well performed but lacked commitment to the intended contrast in style. Perhaps the incorrect venue for the production, You Got Older, just slips off of the diving board before performing its front flip.
You Got Older is being performed at The Cherry Lane Theatre in New York City from February to April 26th 2026.
★★★
