The World to Come, Woolly Mammoth Theatre and Theater J, Washington, DC
Claudia J. Arenas (Ruth), Brigid Cleary (Barbara), Naomi Jacobson (Fanny), and Michael Russotto (Hal) in Ali Viterbi's The World to Come , co-produced by Woolly Mammoth Theatre and Theater J. Photo credit: Cameron Whitman. Because I read (and write) about plays, it is not often that I find myself at a play I have never read (perhaps because it is a world premiere) and about which I have not read much. It is an experience I enjoy, one that puts me in the place of a more casual theatregoer. This was the case when I had the opportunity to attend The World to Come , the world premiere of a new play by Ali Viterbi, co-produced by Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company and Theater J. Because of the way that the play unfolds, part of me would like to skip any discussion of the plot, but I will, because so many of the press items about the play include it. If you would like to have that “first look” experience, please skip ahead to the last paragraph. Part of Viterbi’s strength as a pl...