By Alix Cohen…
A middle American nice guy shows his true colors seduced by lure of righteousness and male dominance.
Masculinity is historically tied to physical strength, rationality, and sovereignty. Men were expected to be warriors, leaders, and sexual dominants. Emotional restraint was seen as a virtue, while femininity was often equated with weakness. Before industrialization, men held authoritative roles in the family and community.
Rise of capitalism in the 18th and 19th centuries shifted masculinity to the self made man emphasizing independence and emotional stoicism. After World War II, we glorified cowboys and action heroes—violence, emotional suppression, and sexual conquest. (These evolved into government operatives and super heroes.) Females supposedly belonged in the kitchen or acting as full time mothers.
Then came the Women’s Liberation Movement which sought to change unnatural societal “norms,” to redefine masculinity embracing vulnerability, empathy and equality. Many men became angry and confused. Like the extreme beginning of every societal change, backlash occurred. Women refused to have doors opened, men got accustomed to not treating on a date. Compromise followed.
With an unqualifiedly toxic male government not only here, but in much of the world, men again consider themselves predestined Alphas. Force and violence rule, no matter the lack of reason, safety, or compassion. The Proud Boys, The Oath Keepers, and QAnon are three of the most prominent Neo-Fascist organizations. Frustration and impotence assign blame.
Roger (John Krasinski) believes he was unfairly fired as an executive at AT&T where income supplied a BMW lifestyle. A middle-aged man who has difficulty relating to emotion (we see empirical text examples), he’d opted out of family participation in favor of career. Wife Suzanne divorced Roger during postpartum depression which was, he complains, really hard on him. She moved away with their son whom he sees rarely.
Now a Dairy Manager at The Walnut Creek Kroger, Roger carries a chip on his shoulder the size of a tree. His girlfriend, Courtney is supportive and independent. Roger is threatened by her liberal art class friends and a t-shirt that says: Carry Yourself with the Confidence of a Mediocre White Man. Courtney is a terrific character, cut of whole cloth.
One day, tooling around the internet, Roger comes across Angry Alan who proselytizes that men are experiencing an unprecedented period of insecurity due to a “system” that diminishes them. Eschewing personal responsibility is a relief to the protagonist. “Men are intrinsically good,” Alan declares denouncing our so-called “Gynocentric Society.”
The ‘hero’ ends up spending 5 hours on Alan’s web site and YouTube channels, then gets sucked into signing up for a Men’s Rights Conference he can ill afford. He forwards Alan’s videos to friends and to his 14 year-old son, Joe. When the boy unexpectedly texts asking if he can visit, Roger is thrilled. Suzanne warns him something is up and asks for her ex-husband’s help (an anomaly) without specifying. An eventual father-son confrontation is virulent.
Roger partakes of the Kool-Aid. Predisposed to Alan’s beliefs, his own self-justifying anger and withholding erupt in the face of challenges to status quo. We’ve left behind the theory of sympathetic confusion and find ourselves in the thick of authoritarian drive.
When the piece was originally performed in 2018, Roger’s point of view must’ve seemed the province of an outlaw periphery. Today he’s a singular example of the guy next door. To both author and actor’s credit, however, he shocks, not so much in terms of familiar platform, but for ferocity. We’re taken in by Roger’s charm and vulnerability only to be walloped by what’s beneath.
Penelope Skinner’s play masterfully peels an onion of character in context. Her nothing-before-its-time approach is wrenching and successful. Secondary voices are well employed; humor well integrated.
John Krasinsky is marvelous. Having started his career in theater, the actor is better known to most for film and television. Perhaps this will begin a new chapter. As Roger, he begins warm and accessible, transitioning before our eyes to something of a monster. Both evoked laughter and outrage feel organic. Timing is impeccable. Krasinsky talks TO audience from the get-go. We feel connection.
Gestures propel Roger around the set with enthusiasm or anxiety- a thin line between. Other characters played are clear and credible. There’s no attempt to sound like a woman, just adroit adjustment in tone. Anger is visceral, its rise visible. (Director Sam Gold)
An Illustrated Set by dots and conference attendee representation by dummies appears to paint Alan as absurd rather than frightening, leaving Krasinski to show us otherwise. Lucy Mackinnon’s Video Design is minimal, yet adds to comprehension and humor.
Lighting Designer Isabella Byrd creates a periodic, blood red, electric short circuit (Sound Design-Mikaal Sulaiman) effectively depicting Roger’s fury and disassociation.
An entertaining and unsettling play.
Angry Alan by Penelope Skinner
Created with Don Mackay
Directed by Sam Gold
Studio Seaview 305 West 43rd Street
Through August 3, 2025 studioseaview.com
Photos by Jonny Cournoyer
