Kindness

Photo/Joan Marcus

Kindness is the first glimpse of actual humanity that I've seen in an Adam Rapp play: digging deep into the repressed darkness between a mother and son (including a staggering performance from Annette O'Toole), but also into the deep love that drives them together, there are some sad and powerful moments. But Rapp, trying too hard for single-scene naturalism, generates a worthless plot that eats up the vast majority of the play, almost as if he's afraid of growing up. Instead, he has the talented but misplaced Katherine Waterston exude hipness, making implausible choices that go nowhere.

[See also: Patrick's take]