One is fraught with emotion, moments of interpersonal conflict sending flickers of electricity through the theater.
In the other, the conflict is more below the surface, with the drama more in what is not said.
But both plays, running at Center Stage until May 24, have their commonalities — they are about the same family, albeit different generations, and they occur in New York City.
In fact, playwright Amy Herzog used her own family as inspiration. The character of Grandma Vera is in both.
This is the first time the plays are being produced together, alternating every two weeks.
Herzog says she is excited that audiences can see both together. “There are resonances between them that are usually lost,” she says in a news release.
The first play, After the Revolution, occurs in 1999, when Emma has learned a shocking secret about her grandfather. The discovery causes her to question her morals and political values and she turns to Grandma Vera for advice.
4000 Miles occurs roughly 10 years later, when Vera’s 21-year-old grandson shows up at her doorstep, coping with a shocking tragedy. The play was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, and won an Obie Award in 2012 for best new American play.
Watching both plays together leads you to feel a closer connection with the characters. The scenes are little snapshots in a family’s life, and Herzog’s masterful dialogue captures each multi-dimensional character perfectly.
You’ll leave the theater feeling that you’ve watched something truly profound.