If you ask me…
– Tom Holehan
The current production of Samuel D. Hunter’s poignant drama, “Little Bear Ridge Road” is exactly the type of play that has put Hartford TheaterWorks on the map and the type of show that Artistic Director Rob Ruggiero is particularly adept at producing. This beautiful play proves to be an ideal fit for the Hartford theatre.
Opening TheaterWorks’ 41 st season on a high note, “Little Bear Ridge Road” is set near Troy, Idaho during the outbreak of COVID-19. Sarah (Denise Cormier, perfection) is an embittered widow meeting her long-estranged nephew, Ethan (Mishka Yarovoy), who has arrived to sell the family home after the passing of his drug-addicted father. The core of Hunter’s drama is the journey of these damaged people who tentatively reach out and try to discover what their relationship truly means. The play is inspired by actual property on Little Bear Ridge Road outside Troy where Hunter’s father built a house.
In his previous works like “Lewiston/Clarkston” and “The Whale”, Samuel D. Hunter excelled at telling deceptively simple stories about ordinary people. His writing is subtle and based in a humanity of character that never rings false. This is especially true in “Little Bear Ridge Road” where two essential strangers, who happen to be related, take a chance on breaking through their fears and resentments. Basically a two-hander, the play also makes room for Ethan’s friend, James (Travis Anderson) and Janelle Anne Robinson as Sarah’s nurse. Ethan, who is gay (“The most interesting thing about you” observes Sarah), starts to date James who just may help in thawing Ethan’s icy reluctance.
Rob Ruggiero’s delicate direction keeps his fine company of actors on track letting the humanity of their characters live and breathe with real feeling. Both Cormier and Yarovoy are wonderful dancing around each other, cautious, gradually letting down their defenses to come to some kind of middle ground. Both also have heart-stopping monologues that are riveting to witness. You root for these characters even as Hunter refuses to provide easy answers or pat solutions to the complicated issues that divide them.
The simple set design by Michael Schweikardt consists of a center stage sofa that effectively adapts for several purposes. His backdrop, which resembles a unique piece of contemporary art, is a thing of beauty perfectly lit by Matthew Richards with stunning projection design by Camilla Tassi. All told, I won’t be forgetting this superior production for a very long time.
“Little Bear Ridge Road” continues at TheatreWorks, 233 Pearl Street in Hartford, Connecticut through November 8, 2026. For further information or ticket reservations call the theatre box office at: 860.527.7838 or visit: www.twhartford.org.
Tom Holehan is one of the founders of the Connecticut Critics Circle, a frequent contributor to WPKN Radio’s “State of the Arts” program and the Stratford Crier and Artistic Director of Stratford’s Square One Theatre Company. He welcomes comments at: tholehan@yahoo.com. His reviews and other theatre information can be found on the Connecticut Critics Circle website: www.ctcritics.org.
