The Young Man from Atlanta NYC Reviews and Tickets

78%

(248 Ratings)

Positive

84%

Mixed

14%

Negative

Members say

Great acting, Absorbing, Great writing, Dated, Slow

About the Show

Danger waits just underneath the surface in Horton Foote’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama of an aging couple still reeling from the death of their only child.

From the show:

Set against the backdrop of a rapidly modernizing 1950s Houston, the Kidders' lives are turned upside down once again when a figure from their son’s past shows up in town. They deny, deflect and deceive in an effort to avoid the danger but can’t dodge the inevitable reckoning. How far will these grieving parents go to avoid the truths this young man from Atlanta might reveal? Director Michael Wilson (The Orphans’ Home Cycle, The Old Friends), the premier interpreter of Foote’s work, returns to Signature to to bring to life this beautiful, heartbreaking play that explores and dissects the American dream while revealing the depths we go to in order to keep ourselves safe.

Show-Score Member Reviews (248)

100

Masterful, Intelligent, Great acting, Enchanting, Absorbing

See it if You like great acting and a very absorbing story. I absolutely loved this performance/play.

Don't see it if You don't like sad stories or a play that sets you thinking long after the play is finished,

100

Ambitious, Great acting, Absorbing

See it if You relish a perfect blend of acting, insight, and the agony/ecstasy of being human

Don't see it if You have no patience with human self delusion and denial.

100

Resonant, Riveting, Thought-provoking

See it if See it if you love family dramas, Texans, and family secrets.

Don't see it if you expect everything to be spelled out for you.

100

Absorbing, Intelligent, Great staging, Great acting, Must see

See it if Perfect cast in a perfect play. I can not fault anything about this show. I went in knowing nothing; I'm angry I'd never seen this before.

Don't see it if No reason to not see it.

Riveting, Great writing, Great acting, Absorbing

See it if you enjoy family dramas; you like Horton Foote's writing with every actor embracing every character to make the play believable

Don't see it if if you're looking for a comedy or a musical

Profound, Great writing, Great acting, Exquisite, Absorbing

See it if Horton Foote is one of your favorite American playwrights. Layered, goes to deep places and underlying suspense.

Don't see it if If you need jazzy entertainment.

Excellent acting by the entire cast. if you like horton foote, don’t miss this production., Thought-provoking, Masterful, Intelligent, Absorbing

See it if you know and like Horton Foote’s work or want to get to know it. This production’s a gem.

Don't see it if old fashioned dramas that unfold slowly and are heavy on characterization rather than action don't appeal or you’re looking for light fare. Read more

Thought-provoking, Resonant, Great acting, Superb writing, Masterful

See it if you enjoy plays about family dynamics, people under stress, in-depth characterizations, class issues, homosexuality & values done expertly.

Don't see it if you want light entertainment that is not sad and are distressed by seeing "real" people suffer as their lives fall apart.

Critic Reviews (14)

CRITIC’S PICK "A Heartbreaker Returns in ‘The Young Man From Atlanta’: The Signature Theater’s compassionate revival of Horton Foote’s 1995 Pulitzer Prize-winning play takes a slow route to devastation."
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3/5 Stars: "Even the most fervent Horton Foote fan might be hard-pressed to explain the appeal, much less the Pulitzer Prize, of 'The Young Man From Atlanta.' The playwright was renowned for his delicate, layered storytelling, but this 1995 drama lays it on thick."
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"‘An Unwanted Guest to be Thankful For: Signature Theatre’s new revival of Horton Foote’s work makes clear the play’s surpassing excellence."
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"'The Young Man From Atlanta' and the Old Man From Houston: Signature Theatre revives a Horton Foote play that it premiered 24 years ago."
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"There is no greater Horton Foote authority than Michael Wilson, the director of the current edition, but this time his handling is a little wobbly…The pluses outweigh the minuses, however."
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"The play may not pack the wallop it did twenty-five years ago, but 'The Young Man from Atlanta' offers a potent view of the United States on the cusp of social and political change."
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3/5 Stars "Horton Foote won the Pulitzer Prize for this play, which doesn't stand up especially well in 2019."
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"WANTING AND WONDERING: The folksiness in Horton Foote’s family drama grows tiresome."
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Trailer

Creative team

Signature Theatre Company