When Tracy Lett’s play Linda Vista had its world premiere in Chicago in 2017 at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company, it was hailed for both its depiction of a white, heterosexual male misanthrope and for being funny. Very funny. The show is now having its Los Angeles premiere in a production at the Mark Taper Forum. Linda Vista‘s official opening night is Wednesday. The play will run through February 17th.
Tracy Lett’s might be familiar to you one of two ways. You may know him as the Pulitzer Prize winning playwright of August: Osage County. Or you may know him for his roles in such films as Lady Bird and The Post.
In Linda Vista Ian Barford (who starred in the play’s first production) plays Wheeler. He’s in his 50s, his professional life has become banal. His marriage is over and he’s moved into a new apartment. All the opportunities to spice of his life are in place. Except Wheeler doesn’t specialize in introspection and his lack of self-awareness might just find him stuck in the same rut forever.
This production is directed by Dexter Bullard. The cast includes Tim Hopper, Sally Murphy, Caroline Neff, Chantal Thuy, Cora Vander Broek and Troy West.
If you are a fan of Letts as an actor, he will be appearing in a new production of Arthur Miller’s All My Sons on Broadway in the spring opposite Annette Bening. This Roundabout production, under the direction of Jack O’Brien, will open at the American Airlines Theatre in New York in April.
“Linda Vista” photos by Craig Schwartz/Courtesy of Center Theatre Group