Damaged People Seek Connection in Samuel D. Hunter's Broadway Debut

In October 2025, playwright Samuel D. Hunter makes his Broadway debut with 'Little Bear Ridge Road', a singularly beautiful piece that shifts from acerbic comedy to searing pathos. The play, commissioned by Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre Company, centers on Sarah, a flinty nurse nearing retirement, and her semi-estranged nephew, Ethan, as they confront their damaged pasts and search for connection in the remote wilds of northern Idaho.

Veteran actress Laurie Metcalf shines in the role of Sarah, exercising her peerless comic timing while gradually revealing the fragility beneath her gruff exterior. Newcomer Micah Stock matches her beat for beat as the stalled writer Ethan, whose desperate cry of "I don't know how to be a person in this terrible fucking nightmarish world!" resonates with the anxieties of the times.

As the days stretch into weeks and months, the play explores the unexpected pockets of tenderness that can emerge, even in the most isolated of environments. The arrival of Ethan's new boyfriend, James, further complicates the dynamic, as the easygoing physics student challenges the walls Ethan and Sarah have constructed around themselves.

Directed with customary economy and laser focus by Joe Mantello, 'Little Bear Ridge Road' is a deceptively modest yet emotionally expansive work, attentive to its characters' interior lives as much as their quotidian routines. Hunter's mastery of the character-driven play shines through, delivering a poignant and ultimately hopeful portrait of damaged people seeking connection in a divided world.