Lunar Eclipse

 Lunar Eclipse
2^nd Stage Theater
The Pershing Square Signature Center
May 31, 2025

Photo courtesy of 2nd Stage Theater

Donald Margulies’ new play, Lunar Eclipse, is now running Off-Broadway.  It is an intimate two-hander, filled with deep sentiment that lingers long after the play is over.  Mr. Margulies structured the piece to parallel the stages of a lunar eclipse.  Director Kate Whoriskey shapes the emotions in the dialogue to gently draw the audience in.  Reed Birney and Lisa Emery are wonderful together.  Their connection is honest, innate, and effortless. 

George (played by Reed Birney) is sitting in the middle of a field in the dead of night, crying.  When a car pulls up and headlights illuminate his emotional state, he quickly pulls himself together.  It is his wife, Em (played by Lisa Emery), who has come to keep him company.  It is George’s ritual to watch the lunar eclipse, and she brought supplies to get them through the cold night.  Em tells George she saw him crying when she drove up.  He denies it at first, then finally opens up.  George admits that he misses their newly deceased pet dog.  They reminisce about all the dogs they have had on the farm over the years, all of whom have been buried in the field where they are sitting.  He also tells Em that he is awake in the middle of the night worried about the state of the world, and is having trouble remembering everyday details.  She makes light of his getting older.  They talk about their inability to have children and the challenges they faced adopting.  George tells Em that he knows how and when they are both going to die. 

Photo courtesy of 2nd Stage Theater

As in all Donald Margulies plays, the rhythm of the dialogue flows naturally, which offers visceral insight into the relationship of the characters.  They poke and tease, lose their patience, shut down, then selfishly blurt out their feelings.  What is different in this piece is the location.  A farm in western Kentucky requires a different pace and ease than Ms. Margulies’ earlier plays, and it works beautifully.  The audience sits back and absorbs the revelations in the dialogue. 

In the final scene George and Em are transported back in time to the night they ventured out to the field to watch their first lunar eclipse together.  They are young and hopeful.  They have their whole lives ahead of them.  This scene perfectly frames the couple’s reflections during the previous scenes.  Their journey has just begun and, knowing where it takes them, we understand the importance of appreciating every moment. 

Lunar Eclipse is playing at The Pershing Square Signature Center through June 22.  It is a touching and intimate play.  Go see it. 

Domenick Danza