By Matthew Wexler
Who wouldn’t want to live in Vernon Point? The Victorian house at the epicenter of David Lindsay-Abaire’s new Broadway play, The Balusters, is a stunner. The people on the inside? They have issues.
Scenic designer Derek McLane’s stunning front parlor, replete with coffered ceilings and wide archways that lead to the dining room and beyond, is a dream out of Architectural Digest. New occupant Kyra Marshall (a coolly composed-until-she’s-not Anika Noni Rose) has fantastic taste, including historically preserved design details juxtaposed with modern Black artists. But maybe joining the Neighborhood Association wasn’t such a good idea.
Board president Elliot Emerson (a cunning Richard Thomas) rules with a smile and an overly protected gavel. Over the course of several meetings, the board gathers to debate balusters—yes—but more importantly, a nearby intersection that warrants a stop sign if it weren’t at risk of destroying the esplanade’s aesthetic.
“Everyone in this room is a decent person”
The nine board members look like a multigenerational Benetton ad. Still, microaggressions slowly take center stage as they debate race-fueled issues. Up for debate are the teen “hooligans” from the other side of town stealing Amazon packages to Black travel writer Brooks (Carl Clemons-Hopkins), accusing the local Muslim health food store owner of giving him the side-eye. Old timer Penny (a huggable and quirky Marylouise Burke), the board’s secretary, keeps the minutes as the situation devolves, with housekeeper Luz (Maria-Christina Oliveras) getting in on the action with a plot twist out of the soap opera Beyond the Gates.
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Director Kenny Leon (This World of Tomorrow) keeps the stellar cast laser-focused as the banter unfolds—a herculean task in scenes with the entire cast onstage. Eventually, it becomes clear that nearly everyone will have their moment of racial reckoning, despite Penny’s reminder that “everyone in this room is a decent person.”
The play’s gut punch arrives when Kyra learns who else put an offer on her stately home—and why they never had a chance. “I’m not surprised, but… it’s fascinating,” she says, “… how you all are when we’re not in the room.”
The Balusters earns its laughs. But it also earns its weight.
Is ‘The Balusters’ worth seeing?
The real threat to Vernon Point isn’t a stop sign—it’s the people voting on it. David Lindsay-Abaire’s The Balusters is razor-sharp and hits uncomfortably close to home.
- Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, 261 West 47th Street, New York City
- Notable performers: Anika Noni Rose, Richard Thomas, Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Ricardo Chavira, Jeena Yi
- Running time: Approximately 110 minutes, no intermission
- Performances through May 24, 2026
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