The Hard Problem

The Hard Problem is playing at the Mitzi Newhouse Theatre, Lincoln center located at 150 West 65th Street. It runs one hour forty minutes with no intermission. The play closes on January 6, 2019.

Tom Stoppard is the playwright. He won four tony Awards for The Coast of Utopia (2007), The Real Thing, Rival (2000), The Real Thing (1984) and Travesties (1976).

Jack O’Brien is the director. He won three Tony Awards for The Coast of Utopia (2007), Henry IV (2004) and Hairspray (2003)and was nominated for seven tony Awards for Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (2005), The Invention of Love; The Full Monty (2001), Two Trains Running (1992),Two Shakespearean Actors (1992), The Piano Lesson (1990), Porgy and Bess (1977).

David Rockwell is the scenic designer. He won a Tony Award in 2016 for She Loves me.

Catherine Zuber is the costume designer. She won seven Tony Awards for My Fair Lady (2018), The King and I (2015), The Royal Family (2010), South Pacific (2008), The Coast of Utopia (2007) and Awake and sing! (2006), The Light in the Piazza (2005) and was nominated for six Tony Awards for War Paint (2017), Golden Boy (2013), How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (2011), Born Yesterday (2011), Edward Albee’s Seascape (2006), Dinner at Eight (2003) and Twelfth Night (1999).

Jon Tenney is known for his role Fritz Howard in TNT’s The Closer, Major Crimes (2005-2012), and Scandal (recurring role 2014).

Hilary (Adelaide Clemens) in in bed with Spike (Chris O’Shea). They are talking about different things. We find out he is her college professor.

When she graduates from college she has a job interview at Krohi. Her friend from high school Julia (Nina Grollman) works there. Her boss Ursula (Tara Summers) tells her what they are looking for. She is also Julia girlfriend. Amal (Eshan Bajpay) is also waiting to be interviewed. Leo (Robert Petkoff) interviews him in the men’s room. Hilary gets the job. Amal gets a job but somewhere else in the company.

Hilary hires Bo (Karoline Xu) to help her.

The owner of the company Jerry (Jon Tenney) is a bully to his employees but a sweet heart to his adopted daughter Cathy (Katie Beth Hall).

Hilary had a daughter at fifteen. At that time it was something to be ashamed of. She named her Cathy and gave her up for adoption.

This is the basis of the story. I was totally confused as to what they were talking about job wise and what they were researching. When they were not in a job related scene it was interesting but that was far and few between. The scenic design was clever. The cast and ensemble (seen but not heard) help add or take away props and furniture.

This is a show not worth seeing, it’s too confusing. Oh there is some nudity.

Review by Rozanna Radakovich.

Photos by Annazor.

To read a candid interview with the cast, scroll down to the left for photos. Click on photos for this and other shows.