by Ethan Bratton

The Young Vic’s fantastic production of The Inheritance has arrived on Broadway!

Inspired by E.M. Forster’s Howard’s End, Matthew Lopez's two-part play follows a large group of gay male friends through life in New York before and during the Trump years. Fair warning: a 2016 election night scene may be particularly triggering to Clinton supporters. The plays asks big questions, primarily what one generation owes the ones before it. Most gay-themed plays written since the 1980s focus on the HIV/AIDS crisis, and while it is impossible to talk about gay life or history without including them, a play set in America today has the opportunity to put the past 30 years into perspective and show how different life is.

Photos: Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade

It clocks in at just over 6.5 hours, but the play (especially Part 1) rarely feels as long as that thanks to a fantastic mix of comedy and drama — you’re basically dared not to bawl at the end of the first part. And all those characters, played by a mix of American and British actors, keep you deeply, deeply invested. Legendary stage and film director Stephen Daldry’s (Billy Elliot the Musical on Broadway) decision to have a mostly bare stage helps to keep the movement speedy as well.

The entire cast of 14 is stellar, but a special shoutout to British-trained American actor Kyle Soller, who will blow you away as Eric Glass, the true heart and soul of the piece. His performance will haunt you for days. Tony winner John Benjamin Hickey (The Normal Heart) also shines. Oh, and that Lois Smith cameo near the end of the second part? ::Italian chef’s kiss”::

Do not sleep on tickets to The Inheritance!