Bug

"Bug" was originally written in the late 1990's and made into a film that starred Michael Shannon, Ashley Judd and William Friedkin. The movie, like the play is billed as a psychological thriller.

David Cromer once again teamed up with Letts on this play (he directed "The Man From Nebraska). Like "Nebraska", "Bug" starts out slow, very slow in the first act. We never get any hint as to who the characters are in the first act. Actors appear willy-nilly and nothing ever gets accomplished, nothing meaningful anyway in Act1.

We meet Agnes White (Carrie Coon) who is divorced from Jerry Goss (Steve Key). Jerry comes and goes in Act1 but we are never sure what his purpose is. R.C. (Jennifer Engstrom) is a friend of Agnes who introduces her to a man she just met, Peter Evans (Namir Smallwood). We get a sense right away that there is something wrong with Peter, we just don't know what yet.

At The Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, phones are check in to safety bags because there is gratuitous nudity in this play. The play takes place in the present just outside Oklahoma City in a cheap motel. The set by Takeshi Kata is fine. The way it is laid out it is better to see this play in the mezzanine rather than the orchestra. Looking down at the set and the actors is a better way to see this show.

"Bug" is billed as "must see second act", but the show never become that interesting. We learn a little more about Peter in Act 2. He was a military man who went astray. Is he mentally ill? Has the crack cocaine ruined his mind that badly? Has Agnes's relationship to Peter led to a downward spiral? Or is it the massive amounts of cocaine that has led her to paranoia?

The audience never learns how she can afford things. We never learn anything about her other than she was married to Jerry and that she lost her child at a grocery store. Her life like all of the other characters never is brought to light in this two hour play. Letts never gives us much in the way of a solid plot and towards the end of the play he has Peter going off in a huge conspiracy rant which is uninspiring to the audience.

"Bug" may appeal to the people who liked the movie, but it most likely will not appeal to the general theater goer who wants a concrete plot that goes somewhere.

The play was billed with great fanfare but never lived up to its billing. The play could not get out of its own way in Act1. Slow and lumbering with little information about what was going on or even what might happen.

"Bug" was a huge disappointment; almost fitting to be the last show of the 2025 Fall Season. This season was disappointing on so many levels. Shows that were supposed to have excelled fell flat. Shows that were good like "Little Bear" closed early.

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Three shows closed early or announced that they were closing early... "ART" which was a huge let down is closing shop; "Queen of Versailles" was a disaster and as such is closing this week. "Little Bear Ridge Road" which I thought was excellent closed this week. "Little Bear" had great reviews and when I reviewed it had a packed house. I had heard that "Chess" too was closing early, but have no conformation on that as of yet.

As we say good-bye to this awful season, let's hope that 2026 is a better year for Broadway!

Broadway Bob, No Bull With Raging Robert, Laurie Metcalf, Tony Awards, Oscars, The Lion King, Hamilton, Alladin.