NEW YORK – Carrie Coon’s return to the stage in Tracy Letts’ unsettling 1996 play, “Bug,” is already sending shivers down broadway audiences’ spines, with some reacting with audible gasps during the opening performance at the Samuel J. Friedman Theater.
A Play About Parasites, Both Real and Imagined
The revival of Letts’ dark comedy taps into contemporary anxieties about unseen threats and eroding trust.
- “Bug” centers on a woman, Agnes white, and a man, Peter Evans, whose lives spiral into paranoia as Peter becomes convinced he’s infested with insects.
- the production, originally staged at the Steppenwolf Theatre in 2020, was briefly halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, adding another layer of resonance to the play’s themes.
- Carrie Coon delivers a powerhouse performance as Agnes, showcasing vulnerability and intensity.
- Director David Cromer’s revival emphasizes the play’s unsettling realism and psychological depth.
- the play’s exploration of goverment conspiracy and psychological breakdown feels particularly relevant in today’s climate.
The play,set in a dingy Oklahoma motel room,follows Agnes White (Coon),a woman grappling with an abusive past,and Peter Evans (Namir Smallwood),a newcomer who believes he’s being invaded by bugs-both physically and psychologically. As Peter’s paranoia escalates, Agnes begins to experience similar sensations, leading them down a rabbit hole of delusion and fear.
What makes a delusion feel real, and when does paranoia become a rational response to external threats? This is the central question that “Bug” relentlessly explores.
This isn’t the first time this play has burrowed under the skin. I first encountered Letts’ work in 2001 at Chicago’s A Red Orchid Theatre, long before the playwright achieved widespread recognition. The production, starring a then-unknown Michael Shannon, was a raw, experimental piece of Chicago storefront theater, notable for its intensity and willingness to push boundaries. Back then, the idea of “Bug” making its way to Broadway seemed improbable.
The stakes rose considerably when director David Cromer, a Chicagoan now prominent on Broadway, revived the play at the Steppenwolf Theatre in 2020.The casting of Coon, a television star but deeply rooted in live performance, brought a new level of visibility to the production. However, the show’s run was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic, a coincidence that amplified the play’s themes of contagion and
What once felt like a far-fetched, genre-bending exercise in paranoia now feels disturbingly prescient. The question of whether one of the characters is a robot, once a source of amusement, now feels unsettlingly plausible. In an era of technological overreach and eroding trust, “Bug” is a play that gets under your skin and stays there.
At the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, 261 W. 47th St., New York; www.manhattantheatreclub.com
