Grangeville (play)

Grangeville
2025 Off-Broadway production art
Original languageEnglish
Written bySamuel D. Hunter
CharactersJerry
Arnie
GenreDrama
Premiere
DateFebruary 24, 2025
PlaceSignature Theatre Company

Grangeville is a 2025 dramatic stage play by American playwright Samuel D. Hunter.[1] The play premiered in 2025 Off-Broadway at the Signature Theatre Company.[2]

Plot

The play follows two brothers, older brother Jerry, a blue collar worker who has lived in Grangeville, Idaho all his life, and Arnie, a gay artist who fled the town for Rotterdam, Netherlands. The two reconnect for a conversation on care for their ailing mother, which forces them to reckon with their relationship and forgiveness.[3][4]

Production history

2025 Off-Broadway premiere

The play had its world premiere in 2025 Off-Broadway at the Signature Theatre Company. The production began previews on February 4, 2025, opening on February 24 and running through March 23 of the same year. Directed by Jack Serio, the show was announced to star Brendan Fraser as Jerry and Brian J. Smith as Arnie, however Paul Sparks eventually replaced Fraser as Jerry.[5] Serio's direction was described as minimalist, and hyper-intimate.[6] The production received positive reviews,[7] with New York Theatre Guide praising the play as "delicately drawn and deftly acted drama"[8], while The New York Times calling the show "bleak" while praising the end of the show's coup de theatre.[9]

The production was nominated for two Outer Critics Circle Awards,[10] three Drama Desk Awards,[11][12] two Lucille Lortel Awards[13] and three Dorian Awards.[14]

2026 Los Angeles production

A new production of the play opened in Los Angeles at the Ruskin Group Theatre in 2026, running from May 29 to July 19, 2026. Directed by John Perrin Flynn, the production starred Tim Cummings as Arnie and Jeff LeBeau as Jerry.[15] The production received positive reviews, with The Los Angeles Times praising it as "beautifully acted" and claiming it "(took) on an impressive magnitude."[16] Similarly, Stage and Cinema gave the show a positive review, noting that "what it delivers lands precisely" and calling it "the kind of play that stays with you three days out."[17]

Cast and characters

Character Off-Broadway 2025[18] Los Angeles 2026[19]
Jerry Paul Sparks Tim Cummings
Arnold "Arnie" Brian J. Smith Jeff LeBeau

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Work Result Ref.
2025 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Play Nominated [20][21]
Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play Paul Sparks Nominated
Outstanding Direction of a Play Jack Serio Nominated
Outer Critics Circle Award Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play Nominated [22]
Outstanding Lead Performer in an Off-Broadway Play Paul Sparks Nominated
Lucille Lortel Award Outstanding Lead Performer in a Play Nominated [23]
Outstanding Lighting Design Stacey Derosier Nominated
Dorian Award Outstanding Off-Broadway Production Nominated [24]
Outstanding LGBTQ Off-Broadway Production Nominated
Outstanding Lead Performance in an Off-Broadway Production Paul Sparks Nominated

References

  1. ↑ "Grangeville". Concord Theatricals. Concord Theatricals. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
  2. ↑ "GRANGEVILLE". Signature Theatre. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
  3. ↑ Green, Jesse (24 February 2025). "'Grangeville' Review: Am I My Half Brother's Keeper?". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
  4. ↑ "Grangeville". Concord Theatricals. Concord Theatricals. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
  5. ↑ Gans, Andrew (January 6, 2025). "Paul Sparks Replaces Brendan Fraser in Samuel D. Hunter's Grangeville Off-Broadway". Playbill. Retrieved June 4, 2026.
  6. ↑ Corzine, Douglas (February 21, 2025). "Why Veteran Playwrights Are Clamoring to Work with Rising Director Jack Serio". TDF Stages. Theatre Development Fund. Retrieved June 4, 2026.
  7. ↑ "GRANGEVILLE". Signature Theatre. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
  8. ↑ Dziemianowicz, Joe (24 February 2025). "'Grangeville' Review — Delicate Drama Brings Estranged Brothers Together". New York Theatre Guide. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
  9. ↑ Green, Jesse (24 February 2025). "'Grangeville' Review: Am I My Half Brother's Keeper?". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
  10. ↑ Culwell-Block, Logan (May 12, 2025). "Maybe Happy Ending Leads 2025 Outer Critics Circle Awards; See the Full List of Winners". Playbill. Retrieved September 21, 2025.
  11. ↑ "2025 Awards – Nominees and Recipients". Drama Desk. Retrieved September 21, 2025.
  12. ↑ Logan Culwell-Block (June 1, 2025). "Drama Desk Award Winners 2025: The Full List". Playbill. Retrieved September 22, 2025.
  13. ↑ Culwell-Block, Logan (4 May 2025). "Our Class Leads 2025 Lucille Lortel Award Wins; Read the Complete List Here". Playbill. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
  14. ↑ Rabinowitz, Chloe (June 3, 2025). "'John Proctor Is the Villain' and 'Cats: The Jellicle Ball' Lead 2025 Dorian Theater Awards". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved June 4, 2026.
  15. ↑ "Samuel D. Hunter's GRANGEVILLE To Have LA Premiere At Ruskin Group Theatre". BroadwayWorld. May 12, 2026. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
  16. ↑ "Grangeville Theater Review: Samuel D. Hunter, Ruskin Group". Los Angeles Times. June 3, 2026. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
  17. ↑ "Grangeville Review: Ruskin Group Theatre". Stage and Cinema. June 2, 2026. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
  18. ↑ "GRANGEVILLE". Signature Theatre. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
  19. ↑ "Samuel D. Hunter's GRANGEVILLE To Have LA Premiere At Ruskin Group Theatre". BroadwayWorld. May 12, 2026. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
  20. ↑ "2025 Awards – Nominees and Recipients". Drama Desk. Retrieved September 21, 2025.
  21. ↑ Logan Culwell-Block (June 1, 2025). "Drama Desk Award Winners 2025: The Full List". Playbill. Retrieved September 22, 2025.
  22. ↑ Culwell-Block, Logan (May 12, 2025). "Maybe Happy Ending Leads 2025 Outer Critics Circle Awards; See the Full List of Winners". Playbill. Retrieved September 21, 2025.
  23. ↑ Culwell-Block, Logan (4 May 2025). "Our Class Leads 2025 Lucille Lortel Award Wins; Read the Complete List Here". Playbill. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
  24. ↑ Rabinowitz, Chloe (June 3, 2025). "'John Proctor Is the Villain' and 'Cats: The Jellicle Ball' Lead 2025 Dorian Theater Awards". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved June 4, 2026.
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