(photo credit: Emilio Madrid)

by Tim Leininger

            If you haven’t concluded yet that Kara Young (Purpose, Purlie Victorious) is the best young actress of the New York stage by now, get yourself over to the Lucille Lortel Theatre at 121 Christopher St. in New York City, where she is reaffirming herself of that title in Rajiv Joseph’s new play Gruesome Playground Injuries, directed by Neil Pepe (American Buffalo, Hands on a Hardbody) and running through Sunday, Dec. 28.

            This acclamation is not intended to be a slight against Young’s co-star, Nicholas Braun (HBO’s “Succession”), who does an excellent job in the play as well, manipulating his tall lanky stature with each injury he obtains with nuance and polish. They make what is a solid piece of theater into a master class of acting.

Young works with such meticulous detail, it’s a privilege to watch her improve as an actress every time I see her. The first time was in the 2022 Lynn Nottage play, Clyde’s. At this point accolades about her ability to capture the broad depths of the human experience in each character she plays seem redundant. She does that every time out. It’s the little things that she does on stage that show the attention to detail she has to her craft. Licking her fingertips and snuffing out a cigarette with them when she’s using an electronic prop cigarette, for example, is something most actors might miss. The cigarette may be fake, but you’ve got to have a quick little beat to put the cigarette out because in the reality of the scene, the cigarette isn’t fake. These are little details that students of the craft need to pay attention to if they want to reach the next level as an artist. It’s little things like that which make Young not just a great actress, but one of the best in the business.

(photo credit: Emilio Madrid)

            The play’s title is a bit misleading. Most of the injuries obtained over the course of the play don’t happen on a playground, and though most of them are gruesome, some of them cut deeper than the epidermis. Spanning over 30 years, the play starts with Doug (Braun) and Kayleen (Young) at the age of 8. Both are in their school’s nurse’s office with Kayleen suffering from stomach problems while Doug has gashed his forehead open after riding a bike off the roof of the school. The two, left alone, get to chatting and the exploratory nature of new friends begins as Doug is open about his adventure and Kayleen is curious about it all, while she is much more reserved about what may be causing her stomach issues.

            The play proceeds to journey through the next 30 years, jumping forward and backward in time with all the years being five years apart. So, we visit them at 13, 18, 23…through 38, but not chronologically. With each jump in time Doug has experienced a different calamity from being assaulted to having a firework go off in his face to being struck by lightning. Doug isn’t the brightest bulb in the chandelier, but Braun does an excellent job in not making him seem pathetic, giving him an emotional depth that makes him sensitive and charming.

            Kayleen’s injuries aren’t as visible as Doug’s as her stomach pains persist throughout the play. It is later that we learn where they come from, and Young’s performance is heartbreaking as she opens up about herself. Young also has a fantastic monologue that she gives to Doug after one of his injuries, as he is laid out in a coma at one point. She has to carry the whole scene and she nails every second of it.

(photo credit: Emilio Madrid)

            The story itself of Gruesome Playground Injuries is good, but the five-year increments in a non-linear structure feels like a bit of a cheat in order to keep the audience off balance, guessing as to what the status of Doug and Kayleen’s relationship is from scene to scene. I don’t think either element was necessary and could have tightened things up a bit narratively speaking by condensing the timeline, and we’d have a better understanding of Kayleen as she ends up in some pretty terrible spots that would make more sense if they moved chronologically.

            The actor’s craft is on full display in Gruesome Playground Injuries as Arnulfo Maldonado’s scenic design has only two set pieces with medical beds with six flats, beautifully lit by Japhy Weideman, framing the stage. The wings are exposed and we see the actors prepare for each scene, changing in and out of costumes, redoing their hair, and in Braun’s case, applying or removing a different bit of scar make up to his face or body. Both taking a beat to become who the character demands them to be before the scene starts. This helps the audience stay engaged as these time jumps require a bit of time to prep the actors between scenes, causing longer scene changes than what would be normal in modern theater. It also gives an inside look at the timing and preparation required by actors and crew to keep a show going moment to moment.

            Despite the narrative issues, Gruesome Playground Injuries is a solid play that delves into the deeper scars that we carry. It is elevated by two superb performances by Braun and Young. Their performances alone make the play worth seeing.

GRUESOME PLAYGROUND INJURIES

TICKETS: https://lortel.org/

PRODUCTION: Written by Rajiv Joseph; Directed by Neil Pepe; Scenic Design: Arnulfo Maldonado; Costume Design: Sarah Laux; Lighting Design: Japhy Weideman; Sound Design & Original Music; David Van Tieghem; Makeup Design: Brian Strumwasser; Casting Director: Taylor Williams, CSA; Associate Director: Francesca Sabel; Production Stage Manager: E Sara Barnes; General Manager: WJP, Dylan Glen; Company Manager: Uriel Trepman Attie; Production Manager: Sightline Productions; Production Counsel; Klaris Doug Nevin; Advertising: Arthouse; Press: Sunshine Sachs, Morgan & Lylis; Social Media & Influencer Marketing: Our Time Influence; Executive Producer: Zachary Baer

CAST

Nicholas Braun as Doug

Kara Young as Kayleen