Jump to: Reviews | Less-Than-Stellar New Productions

Today's Groupon gets you $21 tickets to the Cygnet Theatre Company's latest production, Man from Nebraska, showing through November 1. Springing from the Pulitzer Prize–winning quill of Tracy Letts (August: Osage County), this complex, wickedly funny production centers on Ken Carpenter, an ordinary, church-going middle-aged man who one day decides that God doesn't exist. This faith crisis jeopardizes his relationship with his family and propels him into an extraordinary and often hilarious journey of spiritual self-discovery. Normal ticket prices depend on the section and the night, with tickets to Saturday evenings and Sunday matinees priced at $42.

The Cygnet Theatre Company prides itself on startling the soul, igniting discussion, and igniting startling soul-fires, so when you adjourn to one of Old Town's many restaurants after the show, expect some deliciously meaty conversation on human spirituality, mortality, existential ennui, and other heavy topics, including embarrassing celebrity moments and intricate lawn patterns. Or you can talk about the newly renovated theater; the rustic exterior opens up to a remodeled, redecorated, and repainted lobby. The lighting and sound systems are state-of-the-art, and the new seats are so soft and sink-into-able, you'd probably fall asleep if your intellect and feet weren't being so thoroughly tickled by the performance and the man hiding beneath the seat in front of you.

Reviews

Yelpers and Yahoo! Local reviews give the Cygnet's Theatre Company's edgy productions five stars:

• This place is GREAT! I've been going for about 3 years and they always do a tremendous job. – Steve, Yahoo! Local
• The play was dynamic, as well as the actors. The actors brought August Wilson's words to life in a way that I have never seen before. – Iris, Yahoo! Local

The San Diego Union-Tribune and the Chicago Tribune give glowing reviews to Man From Nebraska:

• One of the greatest gifts that San Diego's smaller theaters offer is to let audiences experience such less-heralded but often deeply rewarding plays. – James Hebert, San Diego Union-Tribune
• With Man From Nebraska, Letts' writing is testing boundaries, as well. Whereas his first two plays, Killer Joe and Bug, are dysfunctional comedies marked by flying fists and naked bodies, Man From Nebraska is a quieter departure – although it still has a bit of nudity. – Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune