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Shaken loose from a job and a relationship, a young lawyer meets an apparent stranger in a bar. At first standoffish, she finds herself exposing herself – metaphorically and more – to someone she’s sure she’s never met. Mae (Alia Shawkat) has returned to her hometown to care for her ill father (Peter Friedman), with whom she’s close but also uncomfortable. Jostled between family intimacies and the attractions of a stranger, Mae battles loneliness, self-doubt, horniness, and the powerful draw and drama of family.
This is the heart of You Got Older, the new comedy-drama by Clare Barron, now at the reopened Cherry Lane Theatre in New York City. Through an acute and generous performance by an actor previously known only for screen roles, it’s a heart that beats vividly and viscerally.
Barron structures the action in an unusual way. A long sequence with just Mae and her father suggests an intense character study of just one or two people. But Barron’s skill is such that in an hour and three-quarters she paints a dark, detailed portrait of one woman, collaborates in a picture of a complex parent-child relationship, sketchier but no less convincing portrayals of three other family members, and contribute to gratingly funny depictions of broader family dynamics.
Shawkat’s performance is warm and gutsy, powerful and generous, impressive on its own terms and even more so as a stage debut. In her TV and film roles she tends to flip Hollywood glamour on its head and show us a seamy, sometimes raw, sometimes not-quite-sane underside. Theater can demand a more natural and vulnerable approach to character, especially a character who is on stage almost the whole time, and Mae is a particularly meaty, multidimensional role. The player must carry intimate two-hander scenes but also, as in the long hospital scene, melt into an ensemble.
She has an excellent counterpart in Friedman’s equally convincing portrayal of Dad, who is both sick and vital, spirited and declining, loving and nagging. The family has already suffered loss with the death of Mae’s mother. Mae has recently lost both her job and her boyfriend, and her siblings Hannah (Nadine Malouf), Matthew (Misha Brooks), and Jenny (Nina White) have also struggled with failed relationships. They never tire of talking about these, as they have actually become essential to the family’s shared history.
More of Mae’s inner world comes to light in the darkness. First, there are dream/fantasy scenes with a mysterious Cowboy (Paul Cooper). This funny, precisely limned stereotype of a tall-dark-and-handsome rebel turns out to be more complex than he seems. And then there is Mae’s real nascent relationship the man she meets in the bar. The lanky Mac (Caleb Joshua Eberhardt) climbs through her window at night in a kind of adult replay of a classic adolescent rendezvous, but intriguingly tempered with adult cynicism.
That late-night bedroom scene, notwithstanding Eberhardt’s charming portrayal, goes on a tad too long. But otherwise director Anne Kauffman’s pacing feels just right, with continuous movement but plenty of room for nuance. The play was over before the advertised duration of an hour and three-quarters seemed to have passed – always a good sign.
The folks who took over the Cherry Lane have done a fine job with the space, enabling a talented creative team to design and operate a production worthy of the best Off-Broadway stages. Special kudos go to scenic designer Arnulfo Maldonado for creative and efficient use of limited space to manifest multiple sets.
You Got Older runs through April 26, 2026 at the Cherry Lane Theatre.
