By Lindsay B. Davis
The first thing a grief-stricken Annie (a commanding Emma D’Arcy) notices about her late father’s house, now inhabited by her uncle Chris (Tobias Menzies), is, “there used to be a wall there,” foreshadowing new levels of deconstruction and emotional exposure in The Other Place, playwright and director Alexander Zeldin’s avant-garde new dramedy at The Shed.
Living under one partially renovated roof with Chris are not only his wife, Erica (Lorna Brown), and their child, Leni (a scene-stealing Lee Braithwaite), but also Annie’s younger sister, Issy (Ruby Stokes), along with the ever-lurking, quirky neighbor, Terry (Jerry Killick). Zeldin draws inspiration from Antigone and connective tissue from additional Sophoclean tragedies, including the incestuous shadows of Oedipus, plus Electra’s heavy use of an urn, which here holds the ashes Chris is committed to scattering, a form of closure Annie vehemently opposes.
Menzies, as the reluctant patriarch, is a revelation, threading the needles of emotional beats like a surgeon suturing a wound to evoke sympathy for his soon-to-be fatal flaws.
A multisensory descent into family dysfunction
Josh Annio Grigg’s ASMR-inspired sound design adds extra texture, punctuating Pinter-esque silences from the ding of a text notification and bite of an apple to the gurgle of a water bottle. Composer Yannis Philippakis of the UK band Foals creates a soundscape that is a character in its own right, one that lurks, sneaks up on, and permeates the cavernous space.
Enhanced by James Farncombe’s chiaroscuro lighting design, the result is an unsettling dissonance that intentionally disturbs and complements Zeldin’s naturalistic direction. Set designer Rosanna Vize reimagines Antigone’s tomb as a cobalt blue tent, a striking upstage image evoking the melancholia that plagues both Annie and her father, who died by suicide.
The Other Place also evokes less literal surroundings, ranging from the afterlife to the subconscious, leaving audiences to decide where to go within themselves. Whether it stirs feelings of condemnation or compassion, isolation or identification, disgust or dismay, you might find yourself emotionally beaten like eggs whisked in a bowl—a final tableau as visceral as it is unforgiving.
4 out of 5 stars
It wants better content.
Fast facts: ‘The Other Place’
A multisensory Greek tragedy disguised as a house renovation, The Other Place descends into family dysfunction with haunting inevitability.
- The Shed, 545 West 30th Street, New York City
- Notable performers: Emma D’Arcy (House of the Dragon), Tobias Menzies (The Crown)
- Running time: Approximately 80 minutes, no intermission
- Performances through March 1, 2026
If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, help is available. Call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988, available 24/7.
Akiko
Great review…interesting how a this dysfunctional family plays right into a Greek Tragedy with comic notes…great insight and it made me want to see this in person.