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Jennifer R. Morris, Susannah Flood, Gibson Frazier, Sam Breslin Wright, Matthew Maher; photo by Joan Marcus

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Sam Breslin Wright, Colleen Werthmann, Jennifer R. Morris, Matthew Maher, Gibson Frazier, Quincy Tyler Bernstine, and Susannah Flood; photo by Joan Marcus

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Matthew Maher, Susannah Flood, Quincy Tyler Bernstine, Sam Breslin Wright, Colleen Werthmann, Nedra McClyde, and Gibson Frazier; photo by Joan Marcus

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Quincy Tyler Bernstine, Jennifer R. Morris, Gibson Frazier, Colleen Werthmann; photo by Joan Marcus

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Matthew Maher, Sam Breslin Wright, Susannah Flood; photo by Joan Marcus

Mr. Burns, a post-electric play


Mainstage Theater


Written by Anne Washburn
Music by Michael Friedman
Directed by Steve Cosson

NEW YORK PREMIERE

What will endure when the cataclysm arrives—when the grid fails, society crumbles, and we’re faced with the task of rebuilding? Anne Washburn’s imaginative dark comedy propels us forward nearly a century, following a new civilization stumbling into its future. A paean to live theater, and to the resilience of Bart Simpson through the ages, Mr. Burns is an animated exploration of how the pop culture of one era might evolve into the mythology of another.

Creative Team
Neil Patel
Scenic Design
Emily Rebholz
Costume Design
Justin Townsend
Lighting Design
Ken Travis
Sound Design
Mike Brun
Music Director
Sam Pinkleton
Choreographer
Kyle Gates
Production Stage Manager
Reviews
  • “DOWNRIGHT BRILLIANT. When was the last time you met a new play that was so smart it made your head spin? Get ready to reel, New York. Anne Washburn’s "Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play" has arrived to leave you dizzy with the scope and dazzle of its ideas. With grand assurance and artistry, Ms. Washburn makes us appreciate anew the profound value of storytelling in and of itself, and makes a case for theater as the most glorious and durable storyteller of all. I LOOK FORWARD TO REMEMBERING IT FOR A LONG, LONG TIME. (Critic's Pick)”

    — Ben Brantley, NY Times | Read Full Article
  • “GET IN LINE ASAP. This bizarre, funny, bleak, wonderful show is even better than its hype. Inventively directed by the Civilians’ Steve Cosson, it’s also one of the most affecting tributes to theater and tenacity you’re likely to see all year.”

    — Elisabeth Vincentelli, NY Post | Read Full Article
More Reviews
  • “5 STARS. Brilliant and beguiling. The impeccable Playwrights Horizons production—staged with steely grace by Steve Cosson and acted by a terrific ensemble—does the improbable: it makes the end of civilization seem like the perfect time to create glowing objects of wonder and beauty.”

    — David Cote, Time Out New York | Read Full Article
  • “ONE OF THE SMARTEST AND MOST DELIGHTFULLY ORIGINAL SHOWS TO COME ALONG IN A LONG WHILE. Anne Washburn, with exemplary assistance from director Steve Cosson and a dedicated ensemble cast, plus music by Michael Friedman, has created an odyssey of popular culture.”

    — Robert Feldberg, Bergen Record
  • “AUDACIOUS. The eight-person ensemble handles the material with tremendous skill and versatility.”

    — Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter
  • “A breathtaking, brain-teasing evening that asks you to consider how pop culture is embraced, metabolized and reinterpreted through the filters of time and cataclysmic events. The scrupulous manner in which Washburn — vitally assisted by composer Michael Friedman — works out the changes over time in the way the episode is recalled and interpreted approaches the mind-blowing.”

    — Peter Marks, Washington Post | Read Full Article
  • “WILDLY INVENTIVE. Anne Washburn has produced one of the most spectacularly original plays in recent memory.”

    — Thom Geier, Entertainment Weekly
  • “WONDERFULLY CLEVER, from the witty costumes by Emily Rebholz to Sam Pinkleton’s tongue-in-cheek choreography. The piece de resistance is the addition of Michael Friedman’s music, a pastiche of every pop song ever played.”

    — Marilyn Stasio, Variety
  • “A fascinating and hilarious triumph. From hell, Mr. Burns sends us to heaven.”

    — Alan Scherstuhl, Village Voice | Read Full Article
  • “The play is both scary and sweet, funny but dead serious, unique and wonderfully theatrical. The night I attended, the audience was filled with twentysomethings, there on a special “under 30” night at Playwrights Horizons. I doubt that many were Simpsons fanatics. Most were barely toddlers when “Eat My Shorts” was a national catchphrase. But at the end they all stood and cheered.”

    — Richard Zoglin, Time Magazine | Read Full Article