Sam doesn’t get out much. Actually, he doesn’t get out at all, opting instead for the safety of his house in the company of his things—his many, many things. But when a notice from the government arrives alerting Sam that he must clean up his property or face eviction, he’s forced to reckon with what’s trash, what’s treasure, and whether we can ever know the difference between the two.
Danny DeVito returns to Roundabout Theatre Company in I Need That, starring alongside his daughter, Lucy DeVito, and Ray Anthony Thomas in a deeply human new comedy from playwright Theresa Rebeck and director Moritz von Stuelpnagel, the team behind Bernhardt/Hamlet.
Sam (Danny DeVito), the collector extraordinaire in question, wakes up one day to a reminder from his daughter Amelia (Lucy DeVito) that, unless he complies with a months-old government notice to clear up the overstuffed property, he will be evicted. Foster (Ray Anthony Thomas), his friendly neighbor, agrees he should start throwing out the obvious trash. So do we. And that’s about it in terms of movement in the work, which is less a play than a 100-minute cycle of scenes in which Amelia or Foster point to an item they deem worthless before Sam redeems it with a lightly emotional memory. There could be a darkly funny surrealism found in this repetition, or a chance to dive deep into the different histories each of Sam’s possessions—and, by extension, the American Dream, or something—holds, but Rebeck almost sadistically avoids mining the setup for anything more than weak comedy followed by cheap passes at sentimentality.
There is an attempt, near the end of the show, to add meaning and depth to the story’s otherwise surface-level emotions. Eventually we’re told that the things we’re attached to from the past keep us from living in the present, but the notion isn’t woven into the text or explored throughout the play. It arrives way too late, with the impact of a Hallmark card. Still, “I Need That” will prove satisfying for those looking to be entertained by DeVito and his daughter. He brings real joy and laughter, and there’s real value in that.
Digital Rush
Price: $48
Where: on the TodayTix app.
When: 9am on the day of the performance
Limit: Two per customer
Information: Subject to availability.
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