Broadway is known for its loud and energetic performances, but sometimes it’s refreshing to experience a play that quietly tugs at your heartstrings. That’s exactly what you’ll find in David Auburn’s Summer, 1976, a production by the Manhattan Theatre Club, starring the incredible Laura Linney and Jessica Hecht. Opening tonight at the Samuel J. Friedman Theater, this play tells the story of a friendship that may seem ordinary on the surface, but holds a profound impact.
The narrative revolves around two women, both connected to Ohio State University, who are brought together through their young daughters. Initially, they clash and dislike each other, but as circumstances and proximity force them to spend time together, their defenses start to crumble. Hecht’s character, Alice, is a free-spirited hippie married to a professor, while Linney’s character, Diana, is a single mom and an art teacher who comes across as a bit snobbish.
But appearances can be deceiving, and as the play unfolds, both the characters and the audience discover that there is more to these women than meets the eye. Summer, 1976 isn’t filled with shocking revelations; instead, it slowly reveals the depths of these characters through their memories of that fateful summer. The friendship they formed barely survived the season, eventually fading away. What happened during that summer that continues to haunt them for years to come?
The answer is simple yet complex: friendship happened. Directed by Daniel Sullivan, who previously collaborated with Auburn on Proof and worked with Linney on The Little Foxes, Summer, 1976 captures the universal experience of a friendship that defies expectations and should have lasted forever, but didn’t. The play takes the form of a memory, with Linney and Hecht commanding a mostly bare stage. The minimalist set design, costumes, lighting, sound, and projections all work together to evoke the essence of that summer, conjuring images of lightning bugs and fireworks.
Even though the play lasts only 1 hour and 30 minutes without an intermission, Linney and Hecht skillfully bring to life the joys, pains, and lingering effects of even the shortest-lived friendships. So, if you’re looking for a play that will touch your heart and make you reflect on the complexities of human connections, don’t miss Summer, 1976 at Broadway’s Samuel J. Friedman Theatre.
Title: Summer, 1976
Venue: Broadway’s Samuel J. Friedman Theatre
Director: Daniel Sullivan
Playwright: David Auburn
Cast: Laura Linney, Jessica Hecht
Running time: 1 hr 30 min (no intermission)
