The Inheritance - Part One

The Inheritance - Part One

Ethel Barrymore Theatre

December 23, 2019

Photo courtesy of The Inheritance

Matthew Lopez has written a profound and stunning piece of theatre.  Part One of The Inheritance opens the door to an immensely compelling and emotional journey.  Mr. Lopez examines the need to know where we came from in order to understand who we are.  He tackles large social and political issues, then narrows the focus on the personal stories of his characters.  These characters are intelligent, complex, and inquisitive.  They are flawed, unsure, and fearful.  They are vulnerable, searching, and human. 

A group of young men assemble with their laptops.  They are writing their stories.  One steps forward and admits he does not know where to start.  He turns to a book by E.M. Foster for inspiration.  Morgan (played by Paul Hilton), who is E.M. Foster, steps forward to guide him.  The story begins.  Eric Glass (played by Kyle Soller) lives in an apartment on the upper west side of Manhattan.  It is rent controlled, left to him by his grandmother who lived there for decades before she passed.  His whole life has been spent in that apartment.  It is a record of his personal history.  He now lives there with his boyfriend, Toby Darling (played by Andrew Burke).  Toby is a writer, far more pretentious than Eric, and unaware that Eric has been served with a notice of eviction.

Kyle Soller, Samuel H.Levine, & Andrew Burke
Photo courtesy of The Inheritance

Eric and Toby’s story deepens as they befriend Adam (played by Samuel H. Levine), a very attractive, young actor, who manipulates himself into being cast in the lead role of a play Toby is writing.  When Toby and Adam are out of town for rehearsal, Eric runs into a wealthy, older acquaintance, Walter (played by Paul Hilton).  Walter and Eric spend time together and become closer.  Walter tells Toby about how he met his partner, Henry (played by  John Benjamin Hickey) thirty-five years ago and the home they bought north of the city.  They used it to escape the sorrow of the AIDS crisis in the 1980s.  It was an oasis for them.  When Walter cared for a friend who was dying of AIDS in that home, Henry felt betrayed.  He gave the house to Walter and never returned.  Walter continued to take in friends and acquittances who needed his care.  Many spend their final days in Walter’s home.

Toby realizes he has fallen in love with Adam and breaks it off with Eric on the same night that Henry delivers news that Walter has passed away.  Walter left his house to Eric.  Henry decides to keep this a secret, even as a close friendship grows between him and Eric.  When Henry finally agrees to take Eric to see the house, Eric has a life changing experience.

Jordan Barbour, Darryl Gene Daughtry Jr., Kyle Soller,
Arturo Luis Soria, & Kyle Harris
Photo courtesy of The Inheritance

This cast is phenomenal.  They work as one, portraying funny, multi-dimensional characters, while creating raw and honest moments.  Director Stephen Daldry keeps this three hour and fifteen-minute play moving at a great pace, until the final scene when Eric arrives at the house Walter left him.  It is transformative.  The lights shift, the space softens, and we viscerally know the truthful and significant journey of these characters has only just begun.  It is a prolific and emotional moment, leaving the audience yearning for Part Two.

The Inheritance is playing at the Ethel Barrymore Theater.  There will be more to come after I see Part Two later this week.

Domenick Danza